ByteSleuth VSCode Extension

This is a VSCode extension that adds a command to scan the currently open file for hidden or suspicious characters using the ByteSleuth Python package.

Structure

vscode-extension/
  |- package.json
  |- extension.js
  |- README.md

package.json (excerpt)

{
  "name": "bytesleuth-vscode",
  "displayName": "ByteSleuth Scanner",
  "description": "Scan open files for hidden/suspicious characters using ByteSleuth.",
  "version": "0.0.1",
  "engines": { "vscode": ">=1.60.0" },
  "activationEvents": [
    "onCommand:bytesleuth.scanCurrentFile"
  ],
  "main": "extension.js",
  "contributes": {
    "commands": [
      {
        "command": "bytesleuth.scanCurrentFile",
        "title": "ByteSleuth: Scan Current File"
      }
    ]
  },
  "categories": ["Other"]
}

extension.js (excerpt)

const vscode = require('vscode');
const cp = require('child_process');

function activate(context) {
    let disposable = vscode.commands.registerCommand('bytesleuth.scanCurrentFile', function () {
        const editor = vscode.window.activeTextEditor;
        if (!editor) {
            vscode.window.showErrorMessage('No file open to scan.');
            return;
        }
        const filePath = editor.document.fileName;
        // Adjust the Python/ByteSleuth path as needed
        const command = `python3 -m src.byte_sleuth "${filePath}"`;
        cp.exec(command, { cwd: vscode.workspace.rootPath }, (err, stdout, stderr) => {
            if (err) {
                vscode.window.showErrorMessage(stderr || err.message);
            } else {
                vscode.window.showInformationMessage(stdout || 'Scan complete.');
            }
        });
    });
    context.subscriptions.push(disposable);
}

function deactivate() {}

module.exports = {
    activate,
    deactivate
};

Usage

• Open a file in VSCode.
• Press Ctrl+Shift+P and search for ByteSleuth: Scan Current File.
• The result will be shown as a notification.
• Tip: You can customize the command in extension.js to use advanced flags, e.g. -F (fail on detect), -s (sanitize), or log removed characters.

Example: Scan with fail-on-detect (exit code 1 if suspicious chars found)

const command = `python3 byte_sleuth/byte_sleuth.py "${filePath}" -F`;

Example: Log removed characters from PIPE

cat file.txt | python3 byte_sleuth/byte_sleuth.py -s -l removed_chars.log > sanitized.txt

Automation & CI/CD

• Use the CLI with -F in pre-commit or CI to block code with hidden characters.
• The extension can be combined with automation for full coverage.

Requirements

• Python 3 and ByteSleuth installed and available in your workspace.
• The extension will automatically use the same Python interpreter selected in VSCode (including virtualenv, conda, or workspace Python). This ensures compatibility with your project environment.
• Install ByteSleuth in the active Python environment:

pip install byte-sleuth

How to use in your repository

• Place the vscode-extension folder at the root of your project.
• In VSCode, open the folder and run npm install.
• Press F5 to test the extension in development mode.
• To publish, follow the official VSCode Marketplace guide.

Comparison with other tools

• ByteSleuth covers Unicode, ASCII, sanitizes, generates reports, and integrates easily with automation and VSCode.
• grep/sed are great for simple ASCII, but do not cover Unicode or sanitization.
• Ad-hoc scripts are fragile and hard to maintain.

For questions or suggestions, open an issue in the main ByteSleuth repository!