Extension Development

Land runs VS Code extensions natively. If you have built a VS Code extension before, you already know how to build one for Land. This guide covers the workflow from scaffolding to publishing.

Scaffold a New Extension

Use the Yeoman generator to create the project structure:

npm install -g yo generator-code
yo code

Select New Extension (TypeScript) and fill in the prompts. The generator creates a directory with package.json, tsconfig.json, and a src/ folder containing an Extension.ts entry point.

Project Structure

MyExtension/
	package.json          # Manifest: commands, configuration, keybindings
	tsconfig.json         # TypeScript configuration
	src/
		Extension.ts      # activate() and deactivate() entry points
	test/
		Extension.test.ts # Integration tests

The main field in package.json points to the compiled JavaScript output (typically out/Extension.js).

Develop

Run Land in extension development mode:

cargo tauri dev -- --extensionDevelopmentPath=/path/to/MyExtension

This launches Land with your extension loaded from source. Changes to TypeScript files recompile on save if you run tsc --watch in a separate terminal.

Test

Land supports the same extension testing framework as VS Code. Install @vscode/test-electron (which also works with Land) and run:

pnpm test

For unit tests that do not require the editor runtime, use any test runner (Vitest, Jest, or Node’s built-in test runner) directly.

Package

Bundle your extension into a .vsix file:

npm install -g @vscode/vsce
vsce package

This produces a MyExtension-0.0.1.vsix file ready for distribution.

Publish

Land uses the Open VSX Registry as its default marketplace. Create an account, generate a namespace token, and publish:

npx ovsx publish MyExtension-0.0.1.vsix -p YOUR_TOKEN

Your extension becomes available to all Land users through the extensions panel.

VS Code API Compatibility

Land implements the VS Code extension API through the Cocoon element. The following API surfaces are fully supported:

vscode.commands
vscode.window (information messages, quick picks, tree views, webviews)
vscode.workspace (configuration, file watchers, text documents)
vscode.languages (diagnostics, completions, hover, code actions)
vscode.debug (breakpoints, stepping, variable inspection)

If you encounter an API that behaves differently from VS Code, file an issue at CodeEditorLand/Cocoon.