Tab Stack

Save and restore complete VS Code tab layouts with groups, snapshots, add-ons, and Git-aware workflows.

Tab Stack keeps your tabs, layout, and cursor position per tab so you can jump between tasks without losing context.

Why use Tab Stack?

VS Code already remembers a bit of your layout, but it is not built for:

• Quickly switching between named workspaces (e.g. "Feature A", "Bugfix 123")
• Keeping a history of layouts you can roll back to
• Re-using the same tooling tabs on top of any project
• Automatically tying groups to Git branches

Tab Stack does all of that while restoring the exact tabs, columns, and cursor/selection per tab.

Features at a glance

• Groups - Save named tab layouts and re-apply them with a click
• Snapshots (history) - Capture "points in time" of all open tabs and restore later
• Add-ons - Reusable tab sets you can apply on top of your current layout (nothing gets closed)
• Quick slots 1-9 - Assign groups to numbered slots for instant recall via shortcuts
• Quick Switch - Jump between your last two states (great for ping-ponging between tasks)
• Git integration - Auto-create and/or auto-switch groups when you change branches, with configurable prefixes like git:main
• Layout fidelity - Columns and splits are tracked; selections/cursors are persisted per tab (text editors and notebooks)
• Import/Export - Backup and share your collections across workspaces or machines
• Multi-root aware - Choose which workspace folder Tab Stack uses as its "master"

Quick start

1. Open the Tab Stack view from the activity bar.
2. Arrange your tabs and editor columns as you like.
3. Click Save Group to capture the current layout.
4. (Optional) Assign the group to a quick slot (1-9) for one-keystroke recall.
5. Use Quick Switch to bounce between the two most recent states:
   • Cmd/Ctrl + Alt + Shift + 0
6. (Optional) Enable Git integration in the Settings panel to automatically create/switch groups per branch.

That is it - from here you can start building up groups, snapshots, and add-ons as your workflow evolves.

Commands & keybindings

Most functionality is available both through the Tab Stack view and the Command Palette.

Groups

Snapshots (history)

Add-ons

Quick slots & switching

Utility

*On macOS the shortcuts use Cmd instead of Ctrl.

URI handler

Tab Stack registers a URI handler so you can trigger commands from outside VS Code — browsers, terminals, documentation, links in chat, etc.

The URI format is:

vscode://ayecue.tab-stack/<path>?<params>

Supported URIs

Settings

You can configure Tab Stack from VS Code Settings or from the Settings panel inside the Tab Stack view.

Key options:

• Storage

  • tabStack.storage.type - Where to store state: - file (default) - .vscode/tmstate.json in your workspace - workspace-state - VS Code’s internal workspace state (hidden, not in git)

• Workspace scope

  • tabStack.masterWorkspaceFolder - Which workspace folder Tab Stack uses as its main reference (defaults to the first folder)

• Git integration

  • tabStack.gitIntegration.enabled - Turn Git-based group management on/off
  • tabStack.gitIntegration.mode - Behavior when branches change:
    • auto-switch - Switch to an existing group for the branch
    • auto-create - Create a new group for the branch and switch to it
    • full-auto (default) - Combination of auto-create and auto-switch
  • tabStack.gitIntegration.groupPrefix - Prefix for Git groups (default git:), e.g. git:main, git:feature/login

• History

  • tabStack.history.maxEntries - Maximum number of snapshots to retain (default 10)

• Appearance

  • tabStack.appearance.tabKindColors - Color rules for tab kind labels and icons. Each rule matches by tab kind and optionally by a label regex pattern. The first matching rule wins.

  Example (default):

    [
      { "kind": "tabInputText", "color": "#2472c8" },
      { "kind": "tabInputTextDiff", "color": "#f44747" },
      { "kind": "tabInputCustom", "color": "#c586c0" },
      { "kind": "tabInputWebview", "color": "#2aa198" },
      { "kind": "tabInputNotebook", "color": "#16825d" },
      { "kind": "tabInputNotebookDiff", "color": "#c19c00" },
      { "kind": "tabInputTerminal", "color": "#3b8eea" },
      { "kind": "unknown", "pattern": "^Settings$", "color": "#8F38E5" },
      { "kind": "unknown", "pattern": "^Extensions$", "color": "#c586c0" },
      { "kind": "unknown", "pattern": "^Welcome$", "color": "#F5276C" },
      { "kind": "tabInputWebview", "pattern": "^Release Notes: [0-9.]+$", "color": "#82E8E8" }
    ]
  

• Tab recovery mappings

  • tabStack.tabRecoveryMappings - Mapping of identifiers to recovery commands for tab types that VS Code cannot reopen automatically (e.g. Settings, Extensions, Keyboard Shortcuts). When Tab Stack detects a saved tab that matches a mapping, it executes the specified command to recreate the tab during restore.

  Values can be a simple command ID string (the key is used as a label regex) or an object with:

  • command - VS Code command ID to execute
  • match (optional) - Regex criteria matched against tab properties (label, kind, uri, viewType). All specified fields must match. If label is omitted inside match, the mapping key is used as the label pattern
  • args (optional) - Arguments to pass to the command. Supports {{property}} interpolation from the tab info (e.g. {{viewColumn}}, {{label}}). Non-string values (booleans, numbers, objects) are passed as-is
  • nextTickDelay (optional) - Milliseconds to wait after command execution before checking for the tab (default 0)

  Example (default):

    {
      "^Settings$": {
        "command": "workbench.action.openSettings2",
        "args": [{ "openToSide": false }]
      },
      "^Keyboard Shortcuts$": "workbench.action.openGlobalKeybindings",
      "^Extensions$": "workbench.view.extensions",
      "^Welcome$": "workbench.action.openWalkthrough",
      "^Release Notes: [0-9.]+$": "update.showCurrentReleaseNotes"
    }
  

Notes

• State is tracked per workspace - different workspaces can have independent collections.

For detailed changes over time, see the Changelog.

Contributing & feedback

Bug reports, ideas, and PRs are very welcome.

• Issues: https://github.com/ayecue/tab-stack/issues

If Tab Stack improves your workflow, consider sharing it with your team or leaving a review in the Marketplace.