RepoTabs

⚠️ Beta Version - This extension is currently in beta. Features may change and bugs may occur. Please report any issues!

Browser-style workspace tabs for VS Code / Cursor. Isolate editors, explorer focus, and state per repository in multi-root workspaces.

Features

• Repo Tabs in Status Bar - Visual tabs for each workspace folder
• Editor Isolation - Each repo remembers its own open files
• State Persistence - Tabs and open editors persist across sessions
• Keyboard Shortcuts - Cmd+1-9 (Mac) / Ctrl+1-9 (Win/Linux) to switch
• Explorer Focus - Automatically focuses explorer on the active repo
• Git Integration - Shows branch name and dirty status per repo
• Quick Open Filtering - Cmd+P / Ctrl+P filters files to the active repository

How It Works

When you switch repo tabs:

1. Saves current open editors and cursor positions
2. Closes all editors (configurable)
3. Restores saved editors for the target repo
4. Focuses explorer on that repo's folder

This gives you a "browser tab" experience where each repo has its own isolated workspace.

Installation

Note: This extension is not available on the VS Code Marketplace. You must build and install it locally.

Build and Install

1. Clone or download this repository
2. Build and package the extension:

cd repoTab
npm install
npm run compile
npm run package

3. Install the generated .vsix file using one of the following commands:

For Cursor:

cursor --install-extension repo-tabs-1.0.0.vsix --force

For VS Code:

code --install-extension repo-tabs-1.0.0.vsix --force

Or install manually:

• Open Command Palette (Cmd+Shift+P / Ctrl+Shift+P)
• Run "Extensions: Install from VSIX..."
• Select the generated repo-tabs-1.0.0.vsix file

Development Mode

1. Open this folder in VS Code / Cursor
2. Run npm install
3. Press F5 to launch Extension Development Host

Usage

Switching Tabs

Shortcut	Action
Cmd+1 / Ctrl+1	Switch to Repo Tab 1
Cmd+2 / Ctrl+2	Switch to Repo Tab 2
...	...
Cmd+9 / Ctrl+9	Switch to Repo Tab 9
Ctrl+Tab	Next Tab
Ctrl+Shift+Tab	Previous Tab

Status Bar

Tabs appear in the left side of the status bar:

$(folder) my-api | $(folder) my-frontend | $(folder) scripts
     ^        ^          ^           ^
     |        |          |           |
   icon     name      icon        name

• Active tab is highlighted
• Shows icon and repo name only
• Hover to see full path, git branch, open files, and keyboard shortcut

Configuration

Setting	Default	Description
repoTabs.enabled	true	Enable/disable the extension
repoTabs.autoSwitchOnFileOpen	false	Auto-switch when opening a file from another repo
repoTabs.preserveEditorsAcrossTabs	false	Keep editors open when switching (only change focus)
repoTabs.autoFocusExplorer	false	Auto collapse/expand folders in explorer when switching tabs (only if sidebar is open)

Commands

Command	Description
RepoTabs: Switch to Tab 1-9	Switch to specific tab
RepoTabs: Next Tab	Switch to next tab
RepoTabs: Previous Tab	Switch to previous tab
RepoTabs: Refresh Tabs	Refresh tabs from workspace
RepoTabs: Quick Open (Filtered to Active Repo)	Open Quick Open filtered to active repository

Known Limitations

1. Cursor Compatibility: This extension is designed to work in both VS Code and Cursor. However, some features may behave slightly differently in Cursor.

2. Large Workspaces: With many workspace folders (10+), the status bar may become crowded. Consider using keyboard shortcuts instead.

3. Explorer Filtering: The extension focuses the explorer on the active repo but doesn't hide other folders (VS Code API limitation).

Troubleshooting

Tabs not appearing

1. Make sure you have a multi-root workspace (2+ folders)
2. Check that repoTabs.enabled is true in settings
3. Try running "RepoTabs: Refresh Tabs" command

Shortcuts not working

1. Check for conflicting keybindings in Keyboard Shortcuts
2. Make sure repoTabs.active context is set (visible in status bar)

Files not restoring

Files that have been deleted won't restore. The extension silently skips missing files.

Development

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Compile TypeScript
npm run compile

# Watch mode
npm run watch

# Package for distribution
npm run package

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.

Contributing

Issues and PRs welcome!