Launch Helper
Quick access to .vscode/launch.json configurations in the VS Code status bar — open files and servers instantly.
Features
Status Bar Button — displays the first launch configuration name and total count
- Example:
▶ production: 3
- Click to open
.vscode/launch.json in the editor
Server URL Picker — select a launch configuration and open its server URL in your browser
- Command:
Launch Helper: Open server URL
- Automatically filters configurations with a
server field
Clean Names — automatically strips prefixes like launch: and feature/ from display names
launch: feature/add-auth → add-auth
Automatic Updates — status bar refreshes when .vscode/launch.json changes
Window Title from app.json — if app.json exists in the workspace root, its name field is used as the VS Code window title
- Applied by writing
window.title to workspace settings (.vscode/settings.json)
- Refreshes when
app.json changes
Usage
Open launch.json
Click the status bar item (e.g., ▶ supportA: 4) to open the launch configuration file.
Open a Server URL
- Open the Command Palette (
Ctrl+Shift+P)
- Run:
Launch Helper: Open server URL
- Select a configuration from the list
- The server URL opens in your default browser
Requirements
- VS Code 1.85.0 or higher
- A
.vscode/launch.json file in your workspace with request: "launch" configurations
Configuration
The extension automatically discovers and reads .vscode/launch.json in the workspace root. No additional configuration is needed.
launch.json Example
{
"version": "0.2.0",
"configurations": [
{
"name": "production",
"request": "launch",
"type": "node",
"server": "https://api.example.com"
},
{
"name": "launch: feature/add-auth",
"request": "launch",
"type": "node",
"server": "https://dev.example.com"
}
]
}
Status bar will show: ▶ production: 2
Commands
| Command |
Description |
launchHelper.openLaunchFile |
Open .vscode/launch.json in the editor |
launchHelper.openServer |
Pick a launch configuration and open its server URL |
License
MIT
| |
