Smart Project Autostart
Infers how to start and stop an unfamiliar repo and runs it with one click — npm/pnpm/yarn scripts, Docker Compose, Procfile, Python, and Makefile targets.
What it does (v0.2.0)
Open a workspace, then use the Smart Project Autostart sidebar (or the command palette):
- Scan & Generate Plan fingerprints the repo — Compose services (with
depends_on / ports), package scripts (dev / start / serve, using the lockfile’s package manager), Procfile, Python, and Makefile targets — and writes a dependency-ordered .runbook.json.
- Start Project runs each service in order, polling tcp/http health checks (or an explicit grace wait when no port is published) before starting dependents. If there is no runbook yet, Start scans first.
- Stop Project tears down in reverse order: process-group kill for shell-spawned apps (so
npm run dev actually releases its port), and docker compose stop <service> per Compose service — not a full down on the first one.
Agents (Copilot Chat, Claude Code, etc.) can call the Language Model Tool project_autostart_run with scan, start, stop, or status. Start/stop stay behind explicit user or tool actions; scan/status are report-friendly for agents.
Install
git clone https://github.com/bobrowsse-tech/smart-project-autostart.git
cd smart-project-autostart
npm install
npm run package
npx @vscode/vsce package --no-dependencies
code --install-extension smart-project-autostart-0.2.0.vsix
Or press F5 in VS Code / Cursor after npm install to launch an Extension Development Host.
Known limits
- Compose services with a container
healthcheck but no published host port fall back to a grace wait — the host cannot probe the container healthcheck directly.
- Monorepo subdirectory scoping is supported in the scanner API; the sidebar still scans the workspace root by default.
- If detection is wrong, fix
.runbook.json via Edit Runbook (manual fields are preserved on re-scan).
How it’s built
- TypeScript (strict) + esbuild CJS bundle (
dist/extension.js)
- VS Code Extension API
^1.95.0 — side-panel WebviewView, commands, Language Model Tool
- Core logic lives in
src/service/ with no vscode imports (shared by UI + LM tool)
npm run watch # esbuild + tsc
npm run test:unit # Node test runner via tsx
npm run package # production bundle
Author
Bob Rowsse Walakira — hello@bobrowsse.com
License
MIT
Contributing
Changes to main must go through a pull request. See CONTRIBUTING.md.
Extension Development Host
With the local suite umbrella checked out, press F5 (Extension + playground) to load ../playgrounds/smart-project-autostart/ as the test workspace.
