Better Terminal Logs

A powerful VS Code extension that automatically captures output from all your terminals and displays them in a beautiful, CloudWatch-style webview panel with advanced filtering, search, and real-time updates.

📸 Preview

CloudWatch-style log viewer with multi-terminal tabs, search, filtering, and smart error/warning detection

✨ Features

🔄 Automatic Terminal Capture

• Zero configuration required - automatically captures ALL terminals
• Works with integrated terminals, task runners, and debug consoles
• Starts capturing as soon as VS Code opens
• Historical logs preserved - see logs even if you open the panel later

📊 CloudWatch-Style Display

• Collapsible log entries with timestamp and preview
• Each log shows date/time and truncated preview
• Expand to see full multi-line output
• Clean, organized view similar to AWS CloudWatch

🎨 Smart Log Detection & Styling

• Commands (green with $ prefix) - Your typed commands
• Errors (red with ✗ prefix) - Errors, exceptions, failures
• Warnings (orange with ⚠ prefix) - Warnings, deprecations
• Normal output (default) - Regular terminal output

Detects 15+ error patterns and 5+ warning patterns automatically!

🔍 Advanced Search & Filtering

• Real-time search - Find text across all logs instantly
• Type filters - Show only errors, warnings, commands, or normal logs
• Combined filtering - Search AND filter simultaneously
• Filters persist when switching between terminals

📑 Multi-Terminal Tabs

• Tab interface - One tab per terminal
• Switch between terminals seamlessly
• Auto-detects terminal names
• Close terminals removes their tabs

⌨️ Quick Access

• Keyboard shortcut: cmd+shift+l (Mac) or ctrl+shift+l (Windows/Linux)
• Command palette: "Better Terminal Logs: Show Better Logs"
• Instant activation with notification on startup

🧹 Clean Output

• Automatically removes ANSI escape codes
• Filters out shell prompt artifacts (% from zsh)
• Removes terminal control sequences
• Clean, readable logs

🚀 Installation

From VS Code Marketplace (Recommended)

1. Open VS Code
2. Go to Extensions (cmd+shift+x or ctrl+shift+x)
3. Search for "Better Terminal Logs"
4. Click Install
5. Extension activates automatically!

Or install from command line:

code --install-extension dmytro-ivashchuk.better-terminal-logs

Note: The extension activates automatically when VS Code starts - no configuration needed!

📖 Usage

Quick Start

1. Open any terminal in VS Code - it's automatically captured
2. Press cmd+shift+l (Mac) or ctrl+shift+l (Windows/Linux) to view logs
3. Use search and filters to find what you need

That's it! The extension works out of the box.

Viewing Logs

Open the panel:

• Press cmd+shift+l (Mac) or ctrl+shift+l (Windows/Linux)
• Or: Command Palette → "Better Terminal Logs: Show Better Logs"

Switch terminals:

• Click terminal tabs at the top

Filter logs:

• Use the dropdown: All / Errors / Warnings / Normal / Commands

Search logs:

• Type in the search box for real-time filtering

Clear logs:

• Click "Clear" button to clear current terminal's logs

Example Workflow

# Run commands in any terminal
$ npm install
$ npm start
$ node app.js
Error: Cannot find module 'express'

In Better Logs panel, you'll see:

$ npm install                  ← Green (command)
  added 150 packages...        ← Normal
  
$ npm start                    ← Green (command)  
  ⚠ Warning: deprecated...     ← Orange (warning)
  Server running...            ← Normal

$ node app.js                  ← Green (command)
  ✗ Error: Cannot find...      ← Red (error)

🔧 How It Works

Architecture

1. Terminal Detection (onDidOpenTerminal)

   • Registers all terminals when created
   • Assigns unique ID and name to each

2. Shell Integration API (onDidStartTerminalShellExecution)

   • Captures commands and their output
   • Works with terminals that have shell integration enabled
   • Provides structured data (command vs output)

3. Log Processing Pipeline

   Raw Terminal Data
         ↓
   Remove ANSI codes & control sequences
         ↓
   Filter shell prompt artifacts (%)
         ↓
   Detect log type (error/warning/command/normal)
         ↓
   Store in memory (terminalLogs map)
         ↓
   Send to webview (if panel open)
         ↓
   Display with search/filter applied
   

4. Historical Replay

   • Logs stored in memory even when panel closed
   • When panel opens, all stored logs replayed
   • Full history available immediately

📋 Commands

Command	Keyboard Shortcut	Description
better-terminal-logs.showBetterLogs	cmd+shift+l (Mac) ctrl+shift+l (Win/Linux)	Opens the Better Terminal Logs panel

🎯 Log Type Detection

Errors (Red)

Detects: error, failed, failure, exception, fatal, cannot, unable to, not found, invalid, denied, refused, exit code [1-9], stack traces (at Module...), [ERROR], ERR!, ✗, ❌, ⨯

Warnings (Orange)

Detects: warn, warning, caution, deprecated, [WARN], ⚠

Commands (Green)

All commands captured from shell execution

Normal (Default)

Everything else

🛠️ Technology Stack

• TypeScript - Extension logic
• VS Code Extension API - Shell Integration, Webview, Commands
• VS Code Shell Integration API - Terminal output capture (v1.93+)
• HTML/CSS/JavaScript - Webview UI (src/webview/index.html)
• VS Code Theme Variables - Native theming support

⚙️ Configuration

Currently, the extension works out-of-the-box with no configuration needed. Future versions may add settings for:

• Maximum log history size
• Custom log patterns
• Auto-clear on terminal close
• Log export format

🐛 Known Issues

npm Script Execution from VS Code UI

Issue: When you run npm scripts by hovering over package.json and clicking "Run Script", logs may not capture properly.

Reason: VS Code creates these terminals without shell integration enabled, so the onDidStartTerminalShellExecution API doesn't fire.

Workaround: Run npm scripts manually in the terminal:

npm run start

Status: Investigating alternative capture methods for these terminals.

Shell Integration Required

The extension relies on VS Code's Shell Integration API (introduced in v1.93). Ensure:

• You're using VS Code 1.93 or later
• Shell integration is not disabled in settings
• Your shell supports integration (bash, zsh, fish, pwsh)

Memory Usage

All logs are stored in memory. For long-running terminals with massive output, consider clearing logs periodically using the "Clear" button.

🧪 Development

Setup for Development

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/DimaIvashchuk/better-terminal-logs-vscode-extension.git
   cd better-terminal-logs-vscode-extension
   

2. Install dependencies:

   npm install
   

3. Open in VS Code:

   code .
   

4. Run the extension:

   • Press F5 to open Extension Development Host
   • Test your changes in the new window

5. Make changes:

   • Edit src/extension.ts for backend logic
   • Edit src/webview/index.html for UI
   • Run npm run compile to compile TypeScript

Project Structure

better-terminal-logs-vscode-extension/
├── src/
│   ├── extension.ts        # Main extension logic
│   └── webview/
│       └── index.html      # Webview UI
├── out/                    # Compiled JavaScript
├── package.json            # Extension manifest
├── tsconfig.json          # TypeScript config
└── README.md

Key Files

src/extension.ts

• Terminal registration and capture
• Log processing and cleaning
• Shell Integration API listeners
• Webview panel management

src/webview/index.html

• Tab management
• Log rendering (CloudWatch style)
• Search and filter UI
• Real-time updates via postMessage

Testing

Run npm scripts in the integrated terminal and verify:

• ✅ Logs appear in Better Logs panel
• ✅ Commands shown in green with $ prefix
• ✅ Errors shown in red with ✗ prefix
• ✅ Search filters logs in real-time
• ✅ Type filter works correctly
• ✅ Logs persist when panel closed/reopened

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! To contribute:

1. Fork the repository on GitHub
2. Clone your fork and set up the development environment (see Development Setup)
3. Create a feature branch:

   git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature
   

4. Make your changes and test thoroughly
5. Commit your changes:

   git commit -m 'Add amazing feature'
   

6. Push to your fork:

   git push origin feature/amazing-feature
   

7. Open a Pull Request on GitHub

Contribution Guidelines

• Follow the existing code style (TypeScript, ESLint)
• Test your changes in Extension Development Host (F5)
• Update documentation if adding new features
• Add your changes to CHANGELOG.md
• Keep commits focused and descriptive

📄 License

MIT

🙏 Acknowledgments

• VS Code Extension API documentation
• Shell Integration API (VS Code 1.93+)
• AWS CloudWatch UI inspiration

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Enjoy cleaner, more organized terminal logs! 🚀

Made with ❤️ for developers who love clean terminals