vcode

A fast, modern CLI project launcher for your favorite code editor

vcode lets you open projects instantly by name, without navigating through directories. Just type vcode myproject and you're in!

Installation

# From crates.io
cargo install vcode

# Or from source
git clone https://github.com/Tabsir99/vcode
cd vcode && cargo install --path .

Quick Start

vcode myproject           # Open project in default editor
vcode myproject -e nvim   # Open with specific editor
vcode myproject -r        # Reuse existing window
vcode .                   # Open current directory (no registration needed)
vcode ../sibling          # Open any path directly
vcode api                 # Fuzzy match — opens 'api-service' if it's the only hit

On first run, vcode will prompt you for your projects directory and default editor.

Commands

Command	Alias	Description
vcode <name|path>	-	Open project by name, or open a directory path directly
vcode add <name> <path>	a	Add project manually
vcode add <path>	a	Add project — name inferred from basename
vcode here [name]	-	Register current directory and open it
vcode where <name>	-	Print the project's path (for shell scripting)
vcode update <name> <new-path>	-	Change a project's path
vcode remove <name>	rm	Remove a project
vcode prune	-	Remove projects whose paths no longer exist
vcode list	ls	List all projects
vcode search <query>	find	Search by name or path
vcode search <query> --fs	find	Fuzzy-search your projects root for directories matching <query> and add what you pick
vcode rename <old> <new>	mv	Rename a project
vcode scan [path]	-	Auto-discover projects
vcode config	cfg	Manage configuration
vcode completions <shell>	-	Generate shell completion script
vcode clear	-	Remove all projects

Opening behavior

vcode <arg> tries the following in order, opening the first match:

1. Exact project name in the registry
2. Path fallback — if <arg> resolves to an existing directory (e.g. ., ../foo, ~/work/x, /abs/path), open it directly
3. Fuzzy match — case-insensitive substring search across project names. A single match opens automatically; multiple matches show a picker

Scan Options

vcode scan                    # Scan configured projects root
vcode scan ~/work --depth 3   # Scan custom path, 3 levels deep
vcode scan --filter all       # Include all directories
vcode scan --no-review        # Skip interactive selection

Config Subcommands

vcode config                  # Show current config
vcode config show             # Show current config (explicit)
vcode config set editor nvim  # Set default editor
vcode config set projects-root ~/dev
vcode config editors          # List all registered editors
vcode config add              # Add custom editor (interactive)
vcode config remove helix     # Remove an editor
vcode config edit             # Interactive configuration wizard
vcode config reset            # Reset to defaults

List Options

vcode list --json                # Output as JSON
vcode list -i                    # Select and open interactively
vcode list --sort path           # Sort by name (default), path, or type
vcode list --filter rust         # Show only Rust projects
vcode list -F javascript --sort type

Shell Integration

# Jump into a project directory in your shell
cd "$(vcode where myproject)"

# Generate completions (bash, zsh, fish, powershell, elvish)
vcode completions zsh > ~/.zsh/completions/_vcode
vcode completions bash > /etc/bash_completion.d/vcode

Project Detection

When scanning, vcode detects projects by their markers:

Type	Markers
Rust	Cargo.toml
JavaScript/TypeScript	package.json, tsconfig.json, deno.json
Python	requirements.txt, pyproject.toml, Pipfile
Go	go.mod
Java	pom.xml, build.gradle
C#	.csproj, .sln
C/C++	CMakeLists.txt, Makefile
Ruby	Gemfile
PHP	composer.json
Git	.git directory

Data Storage

File	Location
Configuration	~/.config/vcode/config.json
Projects	~/.local/share/vcode/projects.json

Config Structure

{
  "projects_root": "/home/user/projects",
  "default_editor": "cursor",
  "editors": {
    "cursor": { "command": "cursor", "args": ["--no-sandbox"] },
    "nvim": { "command": "nvim", "args": [] }
  }
}

Projects Structure

{
  "api-service": "/home/user/projects/api-service",
  "frontend": "/home/user/projects/frontend"
}

Project Structure

src/
├── main.rs          # CLI entry point and argument parsing
├── lib.rs           # Library root with module exports
├── commands.rs      # Command handlers (add, remove, list, etc.)
├── core/
│   ├── config.rs    # Configuration management
│   ├── project.rs   # Project CRUD operations
│   └── editor.rs    # Editor launching logic
├── scanner/
│   ├── scanner.rs   # Directory traversal and project discovery
│   └── detector.rs  # Project type detection by markers
└── ui/
    ├── logger.rs    # Colored console output
    └── display.rs   # Table formatting with pagination

Examples

# Daily workflow
vcode api                     # Open your API project
vcode search backend          # Find backend-related projects
vcode list -i                 # Browse and open interactively

# Initial setup
vcode scan ~/projects --depth 2   # Discover all projects
vcode add mobile ~/work/mobile    # Add project manually

# Configuration
vcode config add                  # Register custom editor (e.g., helix, zed)
vcode config set editor nvim      # Set as default
vcode config editors              # See all available editors

License

MIT

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