Ascenda IDE Extension (VS Code & Cursor)

Privacy-first extension for pairing a local developer tool installation with the Ascenda mobile app and sending AI workload telemetry events. One extension, one package identity (ascenda-one.ascenda) published to both the VS Code Marketplace and Open VSX — Cursor installs the same VSIX from Open VSX. The host is detected at runtime (packages/ide-extension-core/src/host.ts); there is no separate Cursor build.

Part of ai-engineer-tools. See the Workload Telemetry Research Direction and Tooling Phase Alignment.

Role in workload detection (Phase 1)

This package is the baseline IDE telemetry source for both hosts. It contributes objective signals to the prototype workload function:

Subjective strain (NASA-TLX-style check-ins), meeting load, and personalised baselines are handled by the Ascenda app and backend — not this extension.

Running in Cursor

Identical telemetry to VS Code, reported with source: cursor_mcp / toolType: cursor_mcp — detected automatically, no separate install or config. Cursor is treated as a first-class telemetry producer for AI engineers; for richer AI-agent signals today, also run Claude Code hooks. Deeper agent-level capture (prompts, tool calls, correction loops) is tracked as a separate future surface — see CURSOR_ADAPTER_PLAN.md — not a second editor extension.

What this version provides

• Common Ascenda telemetry event types
• Privacy-safe editor activity events
• Terminal command classification where VS Code shell integration exposes execution events
• Session start/end events
• After-hours AI session signalling
• Event queue + periodic flush
• Loose-coupled pairing model:
  • extension stores only toolInstallationId
  • extension stores scoped eventWriteToken
  • backend privately maps tool → anonymous app user → push device

Loose coupling invariant

The extension does not know:

• user email
• phone number
• real name
• Ascenda app user ID
• mobile push token
• organisation identity

The extension only knows:

• toolInstallationId
• scoped eventWriteToken

The backend resolves:

toolInstallationId
  -> anonymous Ascenda user
  -> active app device
  -> APNs / FCM push token

Installation (VS Code)

Prerequisites

• Visual Studio Code 1.90+
• Node.js 20+ and npm
• Access to an Ascenda Development or production API (see pairing below)

1. Build the extension

# from the repo root — the workspace install resolves @ascenda-one/* locally
npm install
npm run build:shared

cd ascenda-vscode-extension-telemetry
npm run compile

2. Run in Extension Development Host (recommended for local/dev)

1. Open this folder (ascenda-vscode-extension-telemetry) as the workspace in VS Code
   (File → Open Folder…).
2. Press F5 (or Run and Debug → Run Ascenda Extension).
   VS Code launches a second window: the Extension Development Host.
3. In that host window, open any project folder you want to work in.
4. Open the Command Palette (Cmd+Shift+P / Ctrl+Shift+P) and run:

Ascenda: Connect App

5. Confirm pairing with the Ascenda mobile app, or with ascenda-pairing-sim for Dev backends:

# In another terminal (DevAuth — see pairing-sim README)
ascenda-pairing-sim confirm-device-code <6-digit-code>

6. Verify with Ascenda: Show Status and Ascenda: Send Test Signal.

3. Point at the right API

In the Extension Development Host (or User Settings), set:

Settings UI: Preferences → Settings → search “Ascenda”, or in settings.json:

{
  "ascenda.apiBaseUrl": "https://app-asc-dev-api-aue.azurewebsites.net",
  "ascenda.telemetry.enabled": true
}

4. Optional: install as a local VSIX (daily driver)

npm install -g @vscode/vsce
npm run compile
npx vsce package --no-dependencies
code --install-extension ascenda-0.0.2.vsix

In Cursor, use Extensions → … (Views and More Actions) → Install from VSIX… and select the same file, or, if cursor is on your PATH:

cursor --install-extension ascenda-0.0.2.vsix

Reload the editor, then run Ascenda: Connect App. Uninstall with Extensions view → Ascenda → Uninstall.

Commands

Backend contract

See TOOL_PAIRING_API_REFERENCE.md. Tool-side routes use /v1 (not /api).

Privacy defaults

Metadata-only telemetry. Does not send source code, raw prompts, AI responses, file names, branch names, terminal output, or repository names.

May send:

• event type, timestamp, workspace hash, session ID
• language ID, file extension/type, changed line count bucket
• terminal command class (test/lint/build/typecheck/run/git/install)
• success/failure/cancelled outcome
• after-hours flag

Disallowed metadata keys are stripped server-side. See compliance notes.

Roadmap

Production QR note

For convenience, this demo renders the QR using a public QR image endpoint. For production, use local QR generation or a backend-provided QR data URI.