VSCode Zen Tabs

A VSCode extension for managing tabs with zen-like focus — clean idle tabs, and choose where new tabs open.

Features

🧹 Idle Tab Management

Automatically closes tabs that have been inactive for a specified period, helping you maintain a clean workspace and focus on what matters.

Configurable timeout: Set how long a tab should be idle before being closed (default: 120 seconds)
Smart exclusions: Exclude specific file patterns from being auto-closed
Safe defaults: Won't close dirty, active, or pinned tabs

📍 Tab Positioning

Control where new tabs open and how active tabs are positioned for better workflow organization.

Insert at start: New tabs can be inserted at the beginning of the tab list
Tab promotion: Active tabs can be moved to the front when you edit or save them
Pinned tab respect: Always respects pinned tabs and positions new tabs after them

⌨️ Keyboard Shortcuts

Bury Active Tab: Ctrl+Alt+Right (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Alt+Right (Mac) - Only available when "Insert at start" is enabled. This command moves the active tab to the end and switches to the next tab, preventing you from getting stuck in a loop when the active tab is at the beginning. This overrides VSCode's default tab switching behavior, so you don't need to remember separate shortcuts for the extension.

Configuration

Idle Tab Settings

{
  "zen-tabs.idleTimeout": 120, // Idle timeout in seconds (0 to disable)
  "zen-tabs.idleExclusions": [ // File patterns to exclude from auto-close
    "package.json",
    "*.config.js",
    "*.md"
  ]
}

Tab Positioning Settings

{
  "zen-tabs.insertTabAtStart": true, // Insert new tabs at the start
  "zen-tabs.tabPromotionTriggers": [ // Events that trigger tab promotion
    "edit", // When you edit a file
    "save" // When you save a file
  ]
}

Alternative: VSCode Built-in Tab Limit

If you need tab limit functionality, you can use VSCode's built-in tab limit configuration:

{
  "workbench.editor.limit.enabled": true,
  "workbench.editor.limit.perEditorGroup": true,
  "workbench.editor.limit.value": 5
}

This will automatically close the least recently used tabs when you exceed the limit, providing a simpler approach to tab management.

Installation

Open VSCode
Go to Extensions (Ctrl+Shift+X)
Search for "Zen Tabs"
Click Install

Zen Tabs

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