Bjorn Code is a VS Code extension for bi-directional file synchronization between your local workspace and a remote host over SSH/SFTP. It is designed for seamless remote development workflows — edit locally, sync instantly to a Raspberry Pi or any Linux server.
Features
Sync Engine v2: Persistent SSH/SFTP connection with automatic reconnect, retries with exponential backoff, debounced auto-sync, and a bounded-concurrency transfer queue.
Bi-directional Sync: Push local changes to remote or pull remote changes to local.
Auto-Sync on Save: Automatically push changes on file save (debounced, configurable).
Conflict Detection: Detects concurrent edits and creates conflict artifacts for manual resolution.
Activity Bar Sidebar: Dedicated panel for connection status, sync queue, workspace browser, remote file browser, and remote tools.
Drag & Drop Import: Drag files or folders into the workspace tree to import and auto-upload.
SSH Support: Password or private key authentication with persistent session handling.
Remote Dev Tools: Run Python scripts remotely, manage systemd services, open SSH terminals, and tail live logs.
Diff with Remote: Compare any local file against its remote version using VS Code's built-in diff editor.
Scope Control: Include/exclude globs with mirror or selective sync mode.
Master Toggle: Enable or disable synchronization globally with a single click.
Installation
Open VS Code.
Go to the Extensions view (Ctrl+Shift+X).
Search for Bjorn Code.
Click Install.
Configuration
Configure Bjorn Code in your VS Code settings (settings.json) or via the extension's settings UI:
Setting
Default
Description
bjornCode.enabled
false
Master switch to enable/disable synchronization.
bjornCode.remoteIp
192.168.1.15
IP address of the remote machine.
bjornCode.port
22
SSH port.
bjornCode.username
bjorn
SSH username.
bjornCode.password
bjorn
SSH password (if not using private key).
bjornCode.privateKeyPath
~/.ssh/id_rsa
Path to your private SSH key.
bjornCode.remotePath
/home/bjorn/Bjorn
Target path on the remote machine.
bjornCode.localPath
""
Local path to sync. If empty, auto-creates .bjorn-code/Bjorn_YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS inside the workspace.
bjornCode.autoSync
true
Enable automatic sync on file change.
bjornCode.exclusions
[...]
List of files/directories to exclude.
bjornCode.includes
["**/*"]
Include globs used by selective mode.
bjornCode.syncMode
"mirror"
mirror (all files) or selective (only matching includes).
bjornCode.maxConcurrency
3
Maximum parallel transfers.
bjornCode.maxRetries
3
Retries per transfer job.
bjornCode.connectTimeoutMs
20000
SSH connect timeout in milliseconds.
bjornCode.operationTimeoutMs
30000
SFTP operation timeout in milliseconds.
bjornCode.pollingIntervalSec
10
Polling interval for remote change detection (seconds).
bjornCode.pythonPath
/usr/bin/python3
Remote Python interpreter path.
bjornCode.sudoByDefault
false
Use sudo by default for remote commands.
bjornCode.services
[]
List of systemd services for service commands.
bjornCode.logLevel
"info"
Log verbosity level (debug, info, warn, error).
bjornCode.bjornServiceName
"bjorn"
Name of the systemd service for quick restart.
Usage
Sync Controls
Access the Bjorn Code icon in the Activity Bar to:
Push to Remote: Manually push local changes (incremental or full scan).
Pull from Remote: Fetch the latest changes from the remote server.
Toggle Connection: Connect or disconnect the SSH session.
Open Settings: Quickly access the extension configuration.
Explorer Context Actions
Bjorn Code: Sync This File/Folder — Push a specific file or folder.
Bjorn Code: Download Remote Version — Pull a specific file from remote.
Bjorn Code: Compare with Remote — Diff local vs. remote.
Bjorn Code: Add to Sync Scope (include) — Add a path to the include list.
Bjorn Code: Exclude from Sync — Add a path to the exclusion list.
Bjorn Code: Run Python File Remotely — Execute a Python script on the remote host.
Remote Tools
Available in the sidebar under Remote Tools:
Run Python — Execute the active Python file on the remote host.
SSH Terminal — Open an interactive SSH terminal.
Restart Bjorn — Restart a configured systemd service.
Reboot Pi — Reboot the remote machine.
Service Status — Check systemd service status.
Tail Service Logs — Stream journalctl output.
Live Logs Panel — Real-time log viewer in a webview panel.
Status Bar
The status bar shows the current connection state with a quick-action menu for common operations.
Development
To build and run the extension locally:
Clone the repository.
Run npm install to install dependencies.
Run npm run compile to build the extension.
Press F5 in VS Code to open a new window with the extension loaded.
