Project Startup Assistant

Start multiple services in VS Code like Visual Studio startup projects: detect, select, run, and manage everything from one sidebar.

Quick Start

1. Open a workspace folder.
2. Open Project Startup in the activity bar.
3. Run Project Startup: Select Services To Run.
4. Click Start All.

Why Developers Use It

• No need to remember startup commands for frontend/backend/worker services.
• Clear list of identified projects with type, path, command, and health.
• Team-friendly: save startup setup in .devstartup.json and share it.
• Local-first workflow (no cloud API dependency).

Core Features

• Auto-detect services in monorepos and multi-folder workspaces.
• Identify project types from markers, scripts, and dependency hints.
• Run each service in its own VS Code terminal.
• Start only checked services (Select Services To Run).
• Manually add services when auto-detection misses a folder.
• Save service command/path selections for future runs.
• Install-assist prompt for Node projects when node_modules is missing.
• Built-in Developer Assistant for guided actions when setup is confusing.
• Workspace diagnostics with suggested fixes for common startup blockers.

UI Hints And Icons

• Service rows show check (included in Start All) or circle (excluded).
• Health badges: starting, healthy, unhealthy, stopped.
• Hover any service to see path, command, project type, and usage hint.
• Hover utility actions (Start All, Stop All, Build, Test, Refresh) to see what each one does.
• Utility actions: Start All, Stop All, Restart All, Run Tests, Build, Refresh.
• Profiles (switch, create, duplicate) for different startup scenarios.
• Health states: starting, healthy, unhealthy, stopped.

Supported Project Types

• Node.js / TypeScript / JavaScript
• Python
• Java
• .NET
• Go
• Rust
• PHP
• Ruby
• Elixir
• Docker

Commands

• Project Startup: Start Service
• Project Startup: Stop Service
• Project Startup: Restart Service
• Project Startup: Start All
• Project Startup: Stop All
• Project Startup: Restart All
• Project Startup: Select Services To Run
• Project Startup: Add Service
• Project Startup: Show Identified Projects
• Project Startup: Developer Assistant
• Project Startup: Diagnose Workspace
• Project Startup: Refresh Services
• Project Startup: Open Service Terminal
• Project Startup: Edit Service Command
• Project Startup: Manage Profiles
• Project Startup: Switch Profile
• Project Startup: Customize UI
• Project Startup: Run Tests
• Project Startup: Build Project

Keyboard Shortcuts

• Ctrl+Alt+S (Cmd+Alt+S on macOS): Start All
• Ctrl+Alt+X (Cmd+Alt+X on macOS): Stop All
• Ctrl+Alt+R (Cmd+Alt+R on macOS): Refresh Services

Screenshots / GIFs

You can add visuals here later:

• docs/images/overview.png
• docs/images/select-services.gif
• docs/images/start-all.gif

Configuration

If .devstartup.json exists, it becomes the source of truth for services.

{
  "activeProfile": "dev",
  "services": [
    {
      "name": "backend",
      "path": "backend",
      "command": "npm run dev",
      "enabled": true,
      "testCommand": "npm run test",
      "buildCommand": "npm run build"
    },
    {
      "name": "worker",
      "path": "worker",
      "command": "npm run worker",
      "enabled": false
    }
  ]
}

Publish / Marketplace Notes

• Repository: Project-Startup-Assistant
• Keep README screenshots and short GIF demos updated for better marketplace conversion.
• Include concise release notes per version.

Release Commands

npm install
npm run verify
npx vsce package --out project-startup-assistant.vsix
code --install-extension project-startup-assistant.vsix

Publish to Marketplace after login/setup:

npx vsce publish patch

Development

npm install
npm run compile
npm run test
npm run verify