Tools: I Shipped My First VS Code Extension — Here’s What I Learned

Every developer has faced this. You clone a project.
Open it in VS Code.
And then… pause. You skim the README.
Try one command.
It fails.
Try another. npm run dev
npm start
flask run
python manage.py runserver
uvicorn main:app --reload Different projects.
Different frameworks.
Same confusion. After switching between JavaScript and Python projects for a while, I realized the problem wasn’t skill. The Hidden Cost of Context Switching Modern dev work isn’t hard because frameworks are bad.
It’s hard because every framework chooses its own startup ritual. React (Vite) → npm run dev Next.js → npm run dev Django → python manage.py runserver FastAPI → uvicorn main:app --reload If you work across stacks, your brain becomes a lookup table for commands. That’s wasted mental energy. Computers are better at pattern detection than humans —
so why are humans doing this work? The Idea: Let the Editor Handle It Instead of memorizing commands, I asked: What if VS Code could detect the project and run it automatically? That question became my first VS Code extension: WebRun. The correct dev server starts No configuration.
No cloud services.
No tracking. Just automation for something developers repeat every day. How It Works (No AI, No Magic) WebRun doesn’t guess.
It looks for signals, the same ones developers rely on subconsciously. Dependencies and scripts clearly indicate: Frameworks announce themselves if you listen. requirements.txt + app.py → Flask Common full-stack layouts: frontend / backend
client / server
web / api If both are detected, WebRun starts two servers in parallel. Right now, WebRun supports: Frontend: React, Next.js, Vue, Angular, Svelte, Astro Backend (Node): Express, Fastify, NestJS Backend (Python): Flask, Django, FastAPI All triggered with one click inside VS Code. Lessons from Shipping My First Extension Building was the easy part.
Shipping taught me everything else. A perfect tool with zero users doesn’t exist. If people can’t understand it quickly, they uninstall. Every setting you expose is a chance for drop-off. Clear scope + MIT license = healthy contributions. That focus made shipping possible. WebRun is completely open source and MIT licensed. VS Code Marketplace:
https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=codewithmishu.webrun GitHub Repository:
https://github.com/CodeWithMishu/WebRun Feedback, issues, and contributions are welcome. WebRun isn’t trying to replace the terminal.
It’s trying to remove unnecessary thinking from daily workflows. If developers repeat something every day,
computers should automate it. If you’re building developer tools: Iterate based on real usage That mindset is how WebRun came to life. Templates let you quickly answer FAQs or store snippets for re-use. Are you sure you want to hide this comment? It will become hidden in your post, but will still be visible via the comment's permalink. Hide child comments as well For further actions, you may consider blocking this person and/or reporting abuse - package.json - Framework config files - Python project clues - Folder structure - Distribution beats perfection - Documentation is the product - Automation > configuration - Open source builds trust fast - Small tools actually ship