Sync clipboard text, code snippets, and images between two machines (e.g. your personal PC and a locked-down VDI) through a relay server, with end-to-end encryption. The relay only ever sees ciphertext.
Setup
The extension defaults to the deployed relay at https://workspacelinker-relay.onrender.com — no configuration needed. To point at another deployment or a local dev server, set workspaceLinker.serverUrl in Settings (e.g. http://localhost:8787).
Run WorkspaceLinker: Create Session on one machine — a short code like KTZQ-7MPX-4RWD is generated.
Run WorkspaceLinker: Join Session… on the other machine (or open the relay's web app in a browser) and enter the code.
Commands
WorkspaceLinker: Create Session — generate a code and connect.
WorkspaceLinker: Join Session… — enter a code from the other machine.
WorkspaceLinker: Send Clipboard — push the current text clipboard to all peers.
WorkspaceLinker: Send Selection — push the current editor selection (or whole file if nothing is selected), tagged with the editor's exact language.
WorkspaceLinker: Send File… — pick one or more files to share (images included). Text files up to 1 MB arrive as editable synced documents; other binaries arrive as download-only file items.
WorkspaceLinker: New Document — start a blank synced document (optional name, language pick).
WorkspaceLinker: Copy Session Code — copy the active session's code.
WorkspaceLinker: Leave Session — disconnect and clear local history.
Views
A WorkspaceLinker icon appears in the activity bar with a live History view. When connected, the first row shows the session code with the connection state and peer count — click it to copy the code, or expand it to see every connected device by name (you're marked "(you)"). Click a text item to open it as an editable document with proper syntax highlighting across 17 languages (JS/TS, Python, YAML, SQL, shell, Go, Rust, …) — type and it syncs live to every device, no save required (saving just marks the doc clean). While another device is editing a document it becomes read-only here, with a lock icon in the tree; the lock releases a few seconds after the other side stops typing. Images open in VS Code's image preview; binary file items show a zip icon and save via Save As…. Inline actions per item: Copy, Insert at Cursor, Save As…, Delete.
Settings
workspaceLinker.serverUrl — relay server base URL (defaults to the deployed relay; use http://localhost:8787 for local dev).
workspaceLinker.clientName — label peers see for items sent from this machine.
workspaceLinker.clipboardWatcher.enabled — poll the clipboard (~1 s) and auto-send new text copies.
workspaceLinker.autoCopyLatest — automatically copy newly received text items to this machine's clipboard.
Notes
VS Code's clipboard API is text-only: images can be received, previewed, and saved, but not copied to the system clipboard from the extension — use the web app for image copy.
The session code never leaves your machines; the room ID sent to the server is a one-way hash of the code, and all item contents are AES-256-GCM encrypted with a key derived from the code.
