Auto Code Saver

Smart auto-save that saves fast, not sloppy.

Most auto-save extensions do one thing: wait N milliseconds after your last keystroke, then save. That's fine, but it means saving after x mid-variable name and saving after } at the end of a function get treated identically — even though one is a completed thought and the other is you mid-word.

Auto Code Saver separates the two. It saves fast after natural pauses (end of line, end of statement) and holds off while you're still typing a word — so it feels closer to instant without ever saving something half-finished.

Why not just use the other auto-save extension?

If you've looked at similar tools before landing here, this table is for you:

That last row about blocking uninstall isn't hypothetical — it's a real pattern some auto-save extensions ship. Auto Code Saver will never do that. You can disable or remove it in two clicks, same as anything else.

How it actually works

You type  →  onDidChangeTextDocument fires
          →  was the last character a natural pause? (\n ; } ))
                yes → save in ~250ms
                no  → save in ~800ms (resets if you keep typing)
          →  file saves, dirty indicator clears

Each open file gets its own timer. Switching tabs mid-type in File A doesn't touch File B's save schedule — they're tracked independently by URI.

Features

• ⚡ Adaptive debounce — short delay after a completed line/statement, longer delay mid-word
• 📄 Per-file timers — no shared global debounce across your open tabs
• 🚫 Exclude by language — skip Markdown, JSON with comments, whatever you want
• 🎯 Exclude by pattern — wildcard match on file paths (*.log, node_modules/*)
• 🌲 Optional .gitignore respect — never auto-save files git already ignores
• 🟢 Status bar toggle — one click to pause/resume, no digging through settings
• 🪶 Zero forced dependencies — the only runtime dependency (ignore) is small and only loaded if you turn on gitignore support

Installation

Search Auto Code Saver in the Extensions view (Ctrl+Shift+X / Cmd+Shift+X) and click Install — or from the command line:

code --install-extension your-publisher-name.auto-code-saver

No configuration needed to get started. It just works after install.

Settings

Open Settings (Ctrl+,) and search "Auto Code Saver", or edit settings.json directly:

{
  "autoCodeSaver.enabled": true,
  "autoCodeSaver.delay": 800,             // ms, base debounce delay
  "autoCodeSaver.adaptiveDebounce": true, // shorter delay after \n ; } )
  "autoCodeSaver.adaptiveDelay": 250,     // ms, used on natural pauses
  "autoCodeSaver.excludeLanguages": ["markdown"],
  "autoCodeSaver.excludePatterns": ["*.log", "node_modules/*"],
  "autoCodeSaver.respectGitignore": false,
  "autoCodeSaver.showStatusBarIcon": true
}

Commands

Open the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P) and search:

• Auto Code Saver: Toggle Auto-Save
• Auto Code Saver: Save All Dirty Files Now

FAQ

Will this fight with VS Code's built-in files.autoSave? Turn off files.autoSave (or leave it off) and let Auto Code Saver handle it — running both means you're debouncing twice for no benefit.

Does it watch my whole filesystem? No. By default, zero file watchers — just one event listener and one timer per open document. The only exception is autoCodeSaver.respectGitignore, which adds a single watcher scoped to **/.gitignore files, and only when you turn that setting on.

Can it save a half-finished word? No — the adaptive delay only shortens the wait on natural pause characters (\n, ;, }, )). Mid-word, it always uses the full base delay.

Contributing

Issues and PRs welcome — see the repo for the source, unit tests, and CI setup. The debounce/exclusion logic lives in src/util.ts with no vscode import, so it's testable with plain node --test, no Extension Development Host required.

License

MIT — see LICENSE