Dev Command Manager

Save, organize, and execute custom shell commands visually from VS Code's sidebar — no terminal gymnastics required.

Features

• Sidebar Tree View — Browse groups and commands from the Activity Bar
• Group-based organization — Keep related commands together (e.g., "Build", "Docker", "Git")
• One-click execution — Hit ▶ next to any command to run it
• Dedicated Output Channel — Real-time stdout/stderr streamed to Dev Command Runner
• Persistent storage — Commands survive restarts (stored in VS Code's global state)
• Import / Export — Share your command sets as JSON
• Favorites — Star frequently used commands to pin them at the top
• Command history — Review past runs with exit codes and durations
• Cross-platform — Works on Windows, macOS, and Linux
• Confirmation guard — Optional prompt before every execution

Quick Start

1. Install the extension
2. Click the Dev Commands icon in the Activity Bar (terminal-window icon)
3. Click ➕ Add Group to create your first group
4. Click ⊕ Add Command on the group row to add a shell command
5. Hit the ▶ play button to run it

Sidebar UI

DEV COMMANDS                    [+] [⊕] [↺] [↑] [↓] [⧖]
├── 📂 Build & Deploy  (2 commands)      [+] [✎] [🗑]
│   ├── ⭐ Deploy Staging               [▶] [★] [✎] [🗑]
│   └── 🖥 Build Production             [▶] [★] [✎] [🗑]
└── 📂 Docker  (1 command)              [+] [✎] [🗑]
    └── 🖥 Start Containers             [▶] [★] [✎] [🗑]

Inline buttons

Settings

Import / Export

Export your entire command set to a JSON file:

1. Click the Export icon (↑) in the sidebar toolbar
2. Choose a save location

Import on another machine:

1. Click the Import icon (↓)
2. Select the JSON file
3. Existing commands are merged (same ID = overwrite)

JSON Format

{
  "version": 1,
  "exportedAt": "2025-01-01T00:00:00.000Z",
  "groups": [
    { "id": "abc123", "label": "Build", "description": "Build scripts", "createdAt": 1700000000000 }
  ],
  "commands": [
    {
      "id": "def456",
      "label": "Build Production",
      "command": "npm run build -- --mode production",
      "groupId": "abc123",
      "description": "Optimized production build",
      "workingDirectory": "/path/to/project",
      "env": { "NODE_ENV": "production" },
      "favorite": false,
      "createdAt": 1700000001000
    }
  ]
}

Environment Variables

When editing a command, set per-command environment variables in the JSON data. You can also import a JSON file with env populated.

Local Development

npm install
npm run compile

Press F5 in VS Code to launch an Extension Development Host with the extension loaded.

For live reloading during development:

npm run watch

Then press F5 and reload the host window after changes.

Architecture

src/
├── extension.ts                  # Activate/deactivate + command registrations
├── models/
│   ├── Command.ts                # DevCommand interface
│   └── Group.ts                  # CommandGroup interface
├── services/
│   ├── CommandStorageService.ts  # CRUD + import/export via globalState
│   └── CommandExecutionService.ts# child_process.spawn + output channel + history
└── providers/
    └── CommandTreeProvider.ts    # TreeDataProvider implementation

License

MIT