CLI VS Code Input

Expose VS Code UI dialogs (QuickPick / InputBox / simple messages) to arbitrary CLI tools via a lightweight authenticated local HTTP server.

Overview

On activation the extension starts a localhost server with a random port and token. It writes a small JSON descriptor file into its globalStorage directory containing:

{ "port": <number>, "token": "<hex>", "workspace": "/path/to/root", "roots": [ ... ], "timestamp": <ms>, "pid": <pid> }

External processes discover this file, then POST requests to /request with header X-Auth-Token to trigger dialogs.

Endpoints

GET /health → { ok: true, pid }

POST /request body:

{ "command": "showQuickPick", "data": { "items": ["A", "B"], "options": { "title": "Pick", "placeHolder": "Choose" } } }
{ "command": "showInputBox", "data": { "options": { "title": "Name", "prompt": "Enter name", "value": "John" } } }
{ "command": "showMessage", "data": { "message": "Done" } }

Response: { "result": <value or null> }

Quick Install (from source)

npm install
npm run build
npx vsce package
code --install-extension cli-vscode-input-*.vsix

Reload VS Code (Command Palette → Developer: Reload Window) after install.

Python Client

The extension automatically installs a CLI helper (client/vscode-input.py) to globalStorage on activation.

Installed path (Linux/Remote SSH):

~/.vscode-server/data/User/globalStorage/yoshigev.cli-vscode-input/vscode-input.py

macOS/Linux (local):

~/.vscode/User/globalStorage/yoshigev.cli-vscode-input/vscode-input.py

Windows:

%APPDATA%\Code\User\globalStorage\yoshigev.cli-vscode-input\vscode-input.py

Check the Output channel "CLI VS Code Input" for the exact path on your system.

Basic Usage

Positional arguments (quick testing):

python ~/.vscode-server/.../vscode-input.py quickpick "Title" "Choose" One Two Three
python ~/.vscode-server/.../vscode-input.py input "Name" "Enter your name" Alice

Programmatic Usage (stdin JSON)

For shell-escaping-free integration from any language:

echo '{"command":"showQuickPick","data":{"items":["A","B","C"],"options":{"title":"Pick"}}}' \
  | python ~/.vscode-server/.../vscode-input.py --stdin-json --json

Output:

{"result": "B", "cancelled": false}

Exit codes: 0 (success), 10/11 (cancelled), 1 (error).

Symlinking for Convenience

ln -s ~/.vscode-server/data/User/globalStorage/yoshigev.cli-vscode-input/vscode-input.py ~/bin/vscode-input
chmod +x ~/bin/vscode-input

Then:

echo '{"command":"showInputBox","data":{"options":{"prompt":"Name?"}}}' | vscode-input --stdin-json --json

Discovery Logic

Clients scan common VS Code globalStorage paths for files named:

vscode-cli-input-server-<sanitized-workspace>.json

Set an override directory list (path list) with:

export VSCODE_CLI_INPUT_SERVER_DIRS="/some/path:/another/path"

Backward-compatible legacy env vars (VSCODE_GITHOOK_SERVER_DIR(S)) are still honored.

Staleness & Refresh

Server info file is updated (touched) every 30s. Files older than 5 minutes or with dead PIDs are removed on activation.

Logging

Minimal activation info is written to the Output channel "CLI VS Code Input".

Security Notes

• Token is random per session; keep descriptor directory permissions default (user only).
• Server binds to 127.0.0.1 only.

Development & Publishing

Local Development

Edit files under src/ then run:

npm run build && npm run lint

Output JS goes to dist/. Add new commands by extending the switch statement inside startHttpServer request handler.

Automated Publishing

This repository uses GitHub Actions to automatically publish the extension on every commit to the main branch:

1. Version Bump: Uses Automated Version Bump to automatically increment version
   • Default: patch version (e.g., 0.3.0 → 0.3.1)
   • Control with commit messages: #patch, #minor, or #major
2. Build & Publish: Compiles, packages, and publishes to VS Code Marketplace
3. Release: Creates a GitHub release with the VSIX file

Setup Requirements

Before the automation works, you need to:

1. Create a VS Code Marketplace Personal Access Token (PAT):

   • Visit https://dev.azure.com/
   • Go to Security → Personal Access Tokens → New Token
   • Grant Marketplace: Manage permission
   • Copy the token

2. Add the token to GitHub Secrets:

   • Go to your repository Settings → Secrets and variables → Actions
   • Create a new secret named VSCE_PAT
   • Paste your token

3. Enable workflow permissions:

   • Go to Settings → Actions → General → Workflow permissions
   • Select "Read and write permissions"
   • Check "Allow GitHub Actions to create and approve pull requests"

For detailed setup instructions, see .github/SETUP.md.

Manual Version Bump

To bump version locally without publishing:

# Patch version (0.3.0 → 0.3.1)
./scripts/bump-version.sh patch

# Minor version (0.3.0 → 0.4.0)
./scripts/bump-version.sh minor

# Major version (0.3.0 → 1.0.0)
./scripts/bump-version.sh major

License

MIT

Contributing

Add new commands by extending the switch in extension.js and defining the payload contract. Keep responses small and JSON serializable.

Verifying

Open Output panel → select "CLI VS Code Input". You should see lines indicating port and server info file.

Testing (Ruby example)

Basic manual test:

cd /home/yehoshuag/Utils
ruby -r ./vscode-input.rb -e "
  input = VSCodeInput.new
  if input.extension_available?
    puts 'Extension is available!'
    result = input.choice('Test', 'Choose one', ['Option 1', 'Option 2', 'Option 3'])
    puts \"You selected: #{result}\"
  else
    puts 'Extension not found'
  end
"

Troubleshooting

Extension not activating

Check Output panel → "CLI VS Code Input". Reload window if absent.

No dialogs appear

Ensure the descriptor file exists under the extension globalStorage path and that the process PID is alive. Confirm port reachable:

curl -s http://127.0.0.1:<port>/health

Uninstallation

code --uninstall-extension yoshigev.cli-vscode-input