XGlass for VS Code

Make your VS Code window look like glass by changing opacity only when you trigger it.

Contents

• Features
• Requirements
• Activation (Opt-In)
• Settings
• How It Works
• Security and Privacy
• Compatibility and Limitations
• Troubleshooting
• Installation
• License

Features

• Control window transparency using commands or keyboard shortcuts.
• Configure default alpha and step in settings.
• Works on Windows and Linux X11/Xorg.

Requirements

Windows

• Windows 10 or newer.
• PowerShell available in PATH.

Linux (X11/Xorg)

• Xorg session required (Wayland is not supported).
• xprop must be installed.

# Fedora
sudo dnf install xorg-x11-utils

# Debian/Ubuntu
sudo apt install x11-utils

# Arch
sudo pacman -S xorg-xprop

Activation (Opt-In)

XGlass does not run automatically. It activates only when you execute one of its commands.

Command Palette

1. Open Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P).
2. Search for xglass and run one of these commands.

• xglass: Enable Transparency Mode: sets alpha to 200.
• xglass: + transparency: increases transparency.
• xglass: - transparency: decreases transparency.
• xglass: full transparency: minimum alpha.
• xglass: No transparency: restores full opacity.

Keyboard Shortcuts

• Ctrl+Alt+Z: + transparency
• Ctrl+Alt+C: - transparency
• Ctrl+Alt+X: No transparency

Settings

• xglass.alpha: alpha from 1 to 255.
• xglass.step: increase/decrease step size, default 10.

How It Works

Windows

• Loads an in-memory C# helper through PowerShell Add-Type.
• Applies WS_EX_LAYERED and sets alpha via SetLayeredWindowAttributes.

Linux (X11/Xorg)

• Finds VS Code windows by process id.
• Sets _NET_WM_WINDOW_OPACITY using xprop.

Security and Privacy

• Only command-based activation; no background auto-start.
• No telemetry and no network calls.
• No admin rights required.
• Only affects the current VS Code window opacity.

Compatibility and Limitations

• Windows 10 or newer supported.
• Linux supported only on X11/Xorg with xprop.
• Some compositors/window managers may ignore opacity settings.

Troubleshooting

• Windows: verify PowerShell is available and execution policy allows in-memory type loading.
• Linux: verify X11/Xorg session and xprop availability.
• Reset: run xglass: No transparency to restore alpha 255.

Installation

• Install from VSIX: code --install-extension xglass-1.1.0.vsix
• Or search for XGlass in the Extensions view.