Issue with pdf.js in vscodium

[s8foschm]

I'm currently having an issue with the integrated PDF viewer for VSCodium. I don't quite know if it's specific to VSCodium, as I don't have an installation of VSCode to check it against, so I'm asking here instead of creating an issue.

Basically, I can open PDF files, but they don't update automatically like they should. Instead, they only update when I change the "Spreads" option in the pdf settings (at least that's the only way I found to make them update).
When I open a PDF, it only shows as a white file (not even a blank page, just a white background). When I go to the page thumbnails, I can see the correct page. Once I change the "spreads" option, it shows up just like normal.
When the PDF changes (which it does often, since I am working with LaTeX (LaTeX Workshop specifically)), it doesn't update, even if the PDF is currently being shown. I used to update, but it hasn't anymore for a while. Again, once I change the "Spreads" option, it updates. It's just that it doesn't do that automatically like it should.

I don't really know how to go about solving this issue. I've tried to clear all kinds of cache, but it still doesn't work. Any ideas? I don't even know if it is a VSCodium or pdf.js issue, though I don't encounter this issue when opening PDFs in Firefox (or Zen browser in my case, but just generally, other applications which use pdf.js).

[Jeong-ilKajokaya]

Yo @s8foschm 👋

Saw your post — I’ve run into the same annoying PDF refresh problem in VSCodium / pdf.js setups. Here’s the scoop and some hacks to try:

---

What’s going on

• Your PDFs don’t auto-refresh after the file changes.
• You have to toggle "Spreads" to get it to render — classic lazy-render caching behavior.
• Works fine in browsers like Firefox, so it’s not the PDF itself — it’s how VSCodium + PDF viewer handles file changes.

---

Hacks & workarounds

1. Force a file refresh

   • Check if your PDF viewer extension has a “Reload PDF” or “Refresh Viewer” command. Hit that after builds.
   • Some viewers disable auto-refresh by default — hunt that setting down.

2. Cache issues

   • Viewer may be caching the PDF. Clear any cache or toggle settings like “keep open” / “live preview” to force it to reload from disk.

3. Build timing / race

   • If your LaTeX build writes the file atomically (temp → rename), the viewer might miss the change.
   • Add a tiny delay after build or trigger a refresh command programmatically once the PDF is ready.

4. Try a different viewer

   • Some PDF viewer extensions are flaky. Test another one or compare with VSCode official + LaTeX Workshop to see if it behaves better.

5. Open an issue / report bug

   • If nothing works, log the problem with minimal repro (tiny LaTeX → PDF, build commands, viewer extension used) and developer tools console logs.