Stop Selecting Terminal Errors Manually
ErrorSnap watches commands executed in the VS Code integrated terminal. When a command fails, it captures the terminal output and displays a Copy Error action in the status bar.
One click copies the captured error to your clipboard, ready to paste into an issue, search engine, AI assistant, documentation, or team chat.
Key Features
| Feature |
Description |
| Automatic failure detection |
Detects commands that finish with a non-zero exit code. |
| One-click error copying |
Copies the latest captured terminal error directly to the clipboard. |
| Complete terminal context |
Preserves the useful command output and stack trace for debugging. |
| Lightweight workflow |
Runs quietly and only shows the action when an error is available. |
| Local processing |
Error output remains on your machine and is not uploaded by ErrorSnap. |
| Cross-platform shell support |
Works with terminals supported by VS Code Shell Integration. |
How It Works
- Open the integrated terminal in VS Code.
- Run a command normally.
- If the command fails, ErrorSnap captures its output.
- Click Copy Error in the status bar.
- Paste the error wherever you need it.
Quick Example
Run a command that fails:
node missing-file.js
ErrorSnap captures the resulting error and makes it available through the Copy Error action.
Supported Terminals
ErrorSnap relies on the official VS Code Terminal Shell Integration API.
| Terminal |
Support |
PowerShell 7 (pwsh) |
Supported |
| Git Bash |
Supported |
| Bash |
Supported |
| Zsh |
Supported |
| Fish |
Supported |
Windows Command Prompt (cmd.exe) |
Not supported in v0.0.1 |
| Windows PowerShell 5.1 |
Not supported |
| External terminal applications |
Not monitored |
Windows recommendation: Use PowerShell 7 or Git Bash inside the VS Code integrated terminal.
Requirements
- Visual Studio Code 1.120.0 or later
- VS Code Terminal Shell Integration enabled
- A supported integrated terminal profile
Shell integration is enabled by default. You can verify the setting by searching for:
terminal.integrated.shellIntegration.enabled
Commands
Open the Command Palette with Ctrl+Shift+P or Cmd+Shift+P.
| Command |
Purpose |
ErrorSnap: Copy Latest Terminal Error |
Copies the latest captured error to the clipboard. |
Installation
Visual Studio Marketplace
- Open the Extensions view in VS Code.
- Search for
ErrorSnap.
- Select the extension published by Depth First Code.
- Click Install.
You can also search by the exact extension identifier:
@id:depthfirstcode.errorsnap
Install from VSIX
- Open the Extensions view.
- Select the Views and More Actions menu.
- Choose Install from VSIX...
- Select the ErrorSnap
.vsix package.
Known Limitations
- Automatic capture requires VS Code Shell Integration.
- Regular Command Prompt does not provide the command lifecycle events required by the current implementation.
- ErrorSnap monitors the VS Code integrated terminal only.
- Error output is captured after ErrorSnap receives the command-start event.
Roadmap
- ErrorSnap custom terminal for Command Prompt workflows
- Captured error history
- Configurable output limits
- Improved error cleanup and formatting
- Additional terminal actions
Privacy
ErrorSnap processes captured terminal output locally. It does not send terminal content, commands, or errors to an external service.
Feedback and Support
Found a bug or have a feature request?
License
ErrorSnap is available under the MIT License.
Built by Muhammad Hamza
Published by Depth First Code
