Workspace Chronicle

Collects and lists multiple .code-workspace files, allowing you to open them in a new window (default) or existing window. Records and displays your open history.

日本語

This tool solves the following needs for people working with Visual Studio Code:

Quickly switch between projects
Deal with sudden project changes
Quickly find recently opened workspaces
Frequently switch between multiple projects

Screenshots

DefaultView

Commands displayed when you right-click on the Workspace name

right-click-on-name

Change of label

set custom name

Change color

set color

Incremental search in history

filter in history

Installation

From VS Code Marketplace

Open VS Code
Open the Extensions panel (Ctrl+Shift+X / Cmd+Shift+X)
Search for Workspace Chronicle
Click Install

Recommended: Use together with Auto Workspace Creator for automatic workspace file generation.

Quick Start

Go to Settings → Add folders to search for .code-workspace files in workspaceChronicle.roots
Open the list from the Workspaces / Workspace History views in the sidebar
Click any item → Opens in a new window (default)
Reopening will automatically update the history

Who is this for?

Developers working on multiple projects - Switch between projects with one click
Teams using monorepos - Organize and manage numerous workspaces
Frequent workspace switchers - Quick access to recently opened workspaces via history
Freelancers / Multiple client work - Efficiently manage projects for each client

Features

Feature	Description
Workspaces View	Automatically discovers and lists `.code-workspace` files under specified roots
Workspace History View	Displays history with open date/time and mode
Open Mode Selection	Open in new window (default) or reuse existing window
Label/Color Tags	Organize workspaces with labels and colors
Color Aliases	Set custom display names for colors (e.g., "red" → "Important")
Filter	Filter workspaces and history by name, label, or color
Quick Open	Quickly search and open workspaces from command palette
Export/Import	Backup and restore metadata and history as JSON files

Settings

Setting	Description	Default
`workspaceChronicle.roots`	Root directories to search	`["${userHome}"]`
`workspaceChronicle.defaultOpenMode`	Default open mode (`newWindow` / `reuseWindow`)	`newWindow`
`workspaceChronicle.historyLimit`	Maximum number of history entries	`500`
`workspaceChronicle.scanTimeoutMs`	Scan timeout in milliseconds (shows partial results on timeout)	`30000`
`workspaceChronicle.scanWhenWorkspaceFileOpen`	Also scan when a multi-root `.code-workspace` is open	`true`
`workspaceChronicle.scanWhenNoFolderOpen`	Also scan when no folder is open (empty window)	`true`
`workspaceChronicle.scanUseDefaultIgnore`	Use built-in ignore patterns (node_modules, build outputs, caches, etc.)	`true`
`workspaceChronicle.scanIgnore`	Additional ignore globs (e.g. `/go/pkg/`, `/pkg/mod/`)	`[]`
`workspaceChronicle.scanRespectGitignore`	Respect `.gitignore` while scanning	`true`
`workspaceChronicle.scanStopAtWorkspaceFile`	If a directory has a `.code-workspace`, do not scan deeper	`true`
`workspaceChronicle.scanUpdateIntervalMs`	Throttle interval (ms) for updating the tree during scanning	`500`

Notes

Scanning is based on workspaceChronicle.roots (not the currently opened project folder). It runs even in an empty window, as long as the extension is activated (e.g. the view is opened).
If you don't want scanning in an empty window, set workspaceChronicle.scanWhenNoFolderOpen to false.
On Windows, AppData is excluded from scanning by default to avoid huge and noisy results.
When scanning the user home directory itself (e.g. ${userHome}), the home-level .vscode and .kiro directories are excluded by default.
If workspaceChronicle.roots is very broad (e.g. ${userHome}), scanning can take a long time. Prefer narrower roots and/or add ignores.
.gitignore support reads .gitignore files found under your roots. It does not currently include global gitignore or .git/info/exclude.

Scan cache

The discovered workspace list is cached on disk and reused across sessions to avoid rescanning from scratch.
Cache keys include your platform and scan-related settings (roots/ignores/.gitignore/branch pruning).
To clear the cache and force a fresh scan, run Workspace Chronicle: Rescan.

Data storage location

Stores history, metadata, and scan cache in platform-specific locations:

Windows: %APPDATA%\workspace-chronicle\
macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/workspace-chronicle/
Linux: ~/.local/share/workspace-chronicle/

Commands

Command	Description
`Workspace Chronicle: Refresh`	Refresh the workspace list
`Workspace Chronicle: Rescan`	Clear scan cache and rescan workspaces
`Workspace Chronicle: Set Default Open Mode`	Set the default open mode
`Workspace Chronicle: Set Custom Name`	Set a custom name (label)
`Workspace Chronicle: Set Color`	Set a color tag
`Workspace Chronicle: Set Color Alias`	Set a custom display name for a color
`Workspace Chronicle: Filter by Label or Color`	Filter Workspaces by label/color
`Workspace Chronicle: Filter History`	Filter history by keyword
`Workspace Chronicle: Filter History by Label or Color`	Filter history by label/color
`Workspace Chronicle: Toggle Sort Mode`	Toggle history sort mode
`Workspace Chronicle: Remove From History`	Remove a single entry from history (from item context menu)
`Workspace Chronicle: Clear History`	Clear all history entries
`Workspace Chronicle: Clear All Filters`	Clear all filters
`Workspace Chronicle: Open Recent`	Quick open recently opened workspaces
`Workspace Chronicle: Search Workspaces`	Search and open workspaces
`Workspace Chronicle: Export Data`	Export metadata and history
`Workspace Chronicle: Import Data`	Import metadata and history
`Workspace Chronicle: Add Root Directory`	Add a root directory
`Workspace Chronicle: Remove Root Directory`	Remove a root directory
`Workspace Chronicle: List Root Directories`	List root directories

Contributing

Issues and Pull Requests are welcome!

Bug reports: Issues
Feature requests: Issues
Code contributions: Pull Requests

If you find this project helpful, please give it a Star!

LICENSE

This project is licensed under the Apache License 2.0 - see the LICENSE file for details.

Workspace Chronicle

Qadiff

Workspace Chronicle

Screenshots

Commands displayed when you right-click on the Workspace name

Change of label

Change color

Incremental search in history

Installation

From VS Code Marketplace

Quick Start

Who is this for?

Features

Settings

Notes

Scan cache

Data storage location

Commands

Contributing

LICENSE