CmdOps

A VS Code sidebar extension that turns a declarative .cmdops.json configuration file into an interactive operations command runner. Define your DevOps workflows — deployments, SSH connections, Ansible vault management, Rake tasks, Rails console, and more — as structured JSON and execute them from a convenient sidebar UI.

Getting Started

Create a .cmdops.json file in your workspace root (or configure a custom path via the cmdOps.configFile setting).
Open the CmdOps panel from the activity bar.
Select options from dropdowns, pick commands, and run them in the integrated terminal.

The extension watches your config file and automatically reloads when it changes.

Settings

Setting	Type	Default	Description
`cmdOps.configFile`	`string`	`".cmdops.json"`	Path to the config file relative to workspace root

Configuration File Structure

The .cmdops.json file has three top-level sections:

{
  "system": { ... },   // Optional — define data pipelines
  "options": [ ... ],   // Optional — define UI dropdowns
  "items": [ ... ]      // Required — define runnable items
}

`system` — Data Pipelines

The system block defines named pipelines — arrays of actions executed in sequence. Each pipeline produces values used to populate option dropdowns or interpolate into commands.

`execute` Action

Runs a shell command in the workspace root directory.

Property	Type	Required	Description
`action`	`"execute"`	Yes	Action type
`command`	`string`	Yes	Shell command to run. Supports variable interpolation (e.g. `{{options:envs}}`)
`store`	`string`	No	Store stdout into a named pipeline variable for subsequent `parse` steps
`pick`	`boolean`	No	When `true`, splits stdout by newlines and adds each non-empty line to the pipeline's result array

`parse` Action

Parses a previously stored variable and extracts values by path.

Property	Type	Required	Description
`action`	`"parse"`	Yes	Action type
`var`	`string`	Yes	Name of a previously `store`d variable
`format`	`"yml"` \| `"json"`	Yes	Parse format
`path`	`string`	Yes	Dot-separated path to navigate into the parsed object (e.g. `"admin.name"`)
`pick`	`boolean`	No	When `true`, add the value(s) at the path to the pipeline result. Arrays are expanded, scalars are added as single values

`options` — UI Dropdowns

Defines dropdown controls rendered in the sidebar when an item is selected. Supports two formats:

Option Properties

Property	Type	Required	Description
`values`	`string \\| string[]`	Yes	Source of dropdown values (see below)
`ui`	`"select"`	Yes	UI control type (currently only `"select"` is supported)
`default`	`string`	No	Pre-selected value. Falls back to the first value if not found in the list
`empty_value`	`string`	No	Placeholder text shown as a disabled first option (like an HTML select placeholder). When set, no value is auto-selected

Value Sources

Source	Example	Description
System variable reference	`"{{system:envs}}"`	Resolves the named system pipeline and uses its results
Static string	`"admin, deployer"`	Split by comma, each value trimmed
Array of strings	`["~", "/home/deployer/{{system:app_name}}/current"]`	Each element is resolved via variable interpolation

Automatic Dependency Resolution

Options that reference system pipelines containing {{options:*}} are automatically detected as dependent. The extension:

Detects {{options:*}} references inside system pipeline commands
Renders the dependent dropdown as disabled with a "Select X first..." placeholder
When all dependencies are satisfied (user selects values), resolves the pipeline and populates the dropdown
Tracks previous selections and skips re-resolution if dependency values haven't changed

`items` — Runnable Items

Each item appears as a button in the sidebar. An item uses either commands or template (not both).

Property	Type	Required	Description
`name`	`string`	Yes	Display name in the sidebar
`description`	`string`	No	Subtitle text shown below the name
`commands_mode`	`string`	No	Execution mode (see below)
`delay_ms`	`number`	No	Delay in ms between sequential commands (default: `1000`)
`commands`	`CommandDef[]`	No	Array of commands to execute
`template`	`TemplateDef`	No	Template editor definition

CmdOps

cmdandquery

CmdOps

Getting Started

Settings

Configuration File Structure

system — Data Pipelines

execute Action

parse Action

options — UI Dropdowns

Option Properties

Value Sources

Automatic Dependency Resolution

items — Runnable Items

`system` — Data Pipelines

`execute` Action

`parse` Action

`options` — UI Dropdowns

`items` — Runnable Items