Helm

A sidebar extension for VS Code and Cursor that lets you save, organize, and instantly switch between workspaces.

Features

• One-click workspace switching — switch to any saved workspace without creating a new window.
• Multi-root workspace support — save workspaces with multiple folders and switch to them seamlessly.
• Spaces — Taking inspiration from Arc Browser, group workspaces into color-coded, emoji-labeled spaces (e.g. "Work", "Personal") and switch between them by swiping.
• Drag-and-drop reordering — rearrange workspaces within a space or move them between spaces.
• Inline editing — rename workspaces, add/remove folders, and manage spaces without leaving the sidebar.

Installation

Quick install (macOS / Linux / WSL)

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/dawsonamf/helm/main/install.sh | bash

The script will auto-detect which editors you have installed and let you choose Cursor, VS Code, or Both.

From VSIX (manual)

1. Download the latest .vsix from Releases.
2. In VS Code / Cursor, open the Command Palette and run Extensions: Install from VSIX…
3. Select the downloaded file and restart the editor.

From source

git clone https://github.com/dawsonamf/helm.git
cd helm
npm install
npm run compile
npx @vscode/vsce package --allow-missing-repository --skip-license

Then install the generated .vsix as described above.

Usage

1. Open the Explorer sidebar — you'll see a Helm panel.
2. Click the + button at the top to create a new workspace.
3. Select any directory, or multiple directories, to create in the new workspace entry.
4. Use the + button at the bottom to create a new space.
5. When you have multiple workspaces and spaces, try dragging to reorder, or dragging a workspace into a different space.

Configuration

All data is stored in your VS Code / Cursor user settings under helm.spaces. You shouldn't ever need to edit this directly. The sidebar UI handles everything automatically.

// settings.json
{
  "helm.spaces": [
    {
      "id": "uuid-here",
      "name": "Work",
      "color": "#4fc3f7",
      "emoji": "💼",
      "workspaces": [
        { "name": "Backend API", "paths": ["/Users/you/projects/api"] },
        { "name": "Monorepo", "paths": ["/Users/you/projects/mono/frontend", "/Users/you/projects/mono/backend"] }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Development

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v18+)
• npm

Setup

npm install
npm run compile

Watch mode

npm run watch

Build & install locally (macOS)

A Makefile is included for quick iteration during development on macOS:

make update-cursor   # package, install into Cursor, and restart Cursor
make update-vscode   # package, install into VS Code, and restart VS Code

Note: Extensions require a full editor restart (not just a window reload) to pick up changes.