A simple notepad in the VS Code bottom panel.
Two textareas side by side: one per workspace, one shared across all your VS Code windows.
No formatting, no folders, no toolbars — just textareas that auto-save.
Why
VS Code has no built-in scratchpad. Existing note extensions either store notes globally (same notes in every workspace) or are overcomplicated with folders, markdown preview, and toolbars. This extension gives you both: a per-project notepad on the left and a global scratchpad on the right that stays in sync across every VS Code window.
Features
Two textareas, two scopes — left is per-workspace, right is global (shared across all your VS Code windows)
Real-time cross-window sync — type into the global pane in one window, see it update live in every other open window
Draggable splitter — resize the two panes; position is remembered per project
Auto-save — saves automatically on every keystroke (debounced 200ms), no manual save needed
Theme integration — matches your VS Code colors and editor font automatically
Zero config — open the Notes tab and start typing
Tab support — Tab key inserts a tab character instead of switching focus
Untrusted workspaces — left (workspace) notes are read-only; the global pane stays editable
State preservation — scroll position and cursor preserved when the panel is hidden and shown
Accessible splitter — focusable separator with Arrow / Home / End keyboard support
Lightweight — no dependencies, no frameworks, no bloat
Usage
Open the Notes tab in the bottom panel (next to Terminal, Problems, etc.)
Type into the left textarea for notes scoped to the current workspace.
Type into the right textarea for global notes shared across every open VS Code window.
Drag the separator between the two panes to resize. The position is saved per workspace.
Open a second VS Code window — the right pane stays in sync with the first.
Tip: If no folder is open, the panel shows "Open a folder to use Notes" — the panel always requires a workspace.
How it works
Workspace notes are stored as notes.txt in VS Code's per-workspace storage directory (context.storageUri).
Global notes are stored as notes-global.txt in context.globalStorageUri, which resolves to the same path for every VS Code window of the current user. A FileSystemWatcher on that file relays changes to other windows in real time, with self-write echo suppression so your own typing doesn't bounce back.
Splitter ratio is persisted per workspace via workspaceState.
All file I/O uses vscode.workspace.fs, so the extension works seamlessly with VS Code Remote (SSH, WSL, Containers). Cross-window sync of the global pane works among windows that share the same host (locally, or attached to the same remote).
When two windows write to the global pane simultaneously, the last writer wins.
