ScopeReplace
Global find-and-replace across manually selected files in VS Code.
Lightweight. Keyboard-first. No webview.
Features
- Search and replace text in any combination of files — only the files you explicitly select are modified.
- A focused, three-step wizard accessed with a single keyboard shortcut.
- Native multi-file dialog (Ctrl/Cmd+click to select several).
- Safe for open/unsaved documents — changes respect the VS Code document model.
- Clear confirmation: total replacements, files updated, and failures (if any).
- Zero dependencies. Pure VS Code API.
Requirements
Usage
Quick start
Press Ctrl+Alt+F (Linux/Windows) or Cmd+Alt+F (Mac) and follow the wizard:
| Step |
What you see |
Keyboard |
| 1 |
Search input — type the text to find |
Enter to continue, Esc to cancel |
| 2 |
Replace input — type the replacement (leave empty to delete) |
Enter to continue, Esc to cancel |
| 3 |
Native file dialog — pick one or many files, then choose "Apply Replacement" |
Arrow keys / type-ahead to navigate, Enter to confirm, Esc to cancel |
| 4 |
Runs replacements and shows a summary notification |
— |
Example
Ctrl+Alt+F
→ Search: oldFunction
→ Replace: newFunction
→ Files: utils.js, helpers.js, index.js
→ "45 replacements across 3 files."
Keyboard reference
| Key |
Action |
Ctrl+Alt+F / Cmd+Alt+F |
Open ScopeReplace wizard |
Enter |
Accept current step and move to next |
Esc |
Cancel the wizard at any step |
| Arrow keys / type-ahead |
Navigate and filter in the file dialog (step 3) |
Ctrl+click / Cmd+click |
Select multiple files in the dialog |
Try it out (development)
# Install dependencies
npm install
# Compile TypeScript
npm run compile
# Open in VS Code and press F5
A new Extension Development Host window will open. Open any folder, press Ctrl+Alt+F, and test the extension.
Build a VSIX package
npm run compile
npx @vscode/vsce package
This produces a ScopeReplace-0.0.2.vsix file you can install via
Extensions > Install from VSIX... or from the command line:
code --install-extension ScopeReplace-0.0.2.vsix
Known limitations
- No regular expressions — plain text search only (v1 scope).
- No preview/diff view — replacements are applied directly.
- No undo management — use
Ctrl+Z per file if needed.
License
MIT License — see the bundled LICENSE file in this package for full text.
