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Open VSX Registry Setup Guide

Step-by-step guide to get an access token for publishing to the Open VSX Registry, the open alternative to the VS Code Marketplace used by VS Codium, Gitpod, and other open-source editors.

Prerequisites

  • A GitHub account
  • Access to your GitHub repository settings

Step 1: Sign In to Open VSX

  1. Go to open-vsx.org
  2. Click Log In (top right)
  3. Sign in with your GitHub account

Step 2: Create a Namespace

  1. After signing in, go to your user settings
  2. Under Namespaces, type your publisher ID (same as publisher in package.json)
  3. Click Create

Note: The namespace must match the publisher field in your package.json exactly.

Step 3: Generate an Access Token

  1. Go to your user settings → Tokens
  2. Enter a description (e.g., GitHub Actions publish)
  3. Click Create Token
  4. Copy the token immediately — you won't be able to see it again

Step 4: Add GitHub Secret

Go to your repository → Settings → Secrets and variables → Actions → New repository secret

Secret Name Value
OVSX_PAT The access token from Step 3

Done

The CD workflow will automatically publish to Open VSX after publishing to the VS Code Marketplace.

Troubleshooting

"Namespace 'xxx' not found"

  • Create the namespace first in your Open VSX user settings (Step 2).

"Insufficient access rights"

  • Make sure you are a member/owner of the namespace that matches your publisher in package.json.

Token expired or revoked

  • Generate a new token in your Open VSX user settings and update the OVSX_PAT secret.

Why Open VSX?

The VS Code Marketplace is proprietary and only accessible from Microsoft's VS Code. Open VSX provides the same extension registry for:

  • VS Codium — FOSS build of VS Code
  • Gitpod — cloud development environments
  • Eclipse Theia — extensible IDE platform
  • Other editors using the Open VSX protocol

Publishing to both registries ensures your extension reaches the widest audience.