VS Code Extension

Analyze and update package dependencies directly in Visual Studio Code. Pack-Man brings real-time dependency health monitoring to your editor with inline indicators, hover information, and quick update actions.

The VS Code extension is available for testing! Download the .vsix file from the repository.

Features

🔍 Real-time Dependency Analysis

Automatic Detection - Activates when you open projects with package.json, requirements.txt, or pubspec.yaml
Multi-ecosystem Support - Works with npm, pip, and pub package managers
Instant Feedback - See dependency status as you edit your files

📊 Visual Indicators

CodeLens Integration

Inline status indicators above each dependency:

✅ Green checkmark - Up-to-date packages
⚠️ Yellow warning - Outdated packages with available version
❌ Red error - Packages with issues

Hover Information

Detailed package info on hover:

Current version vs. latest version
Package status
Documentation links
Registry URLs

Problems Panel

Outdated and error dependencies appear in VS Code's Problems panel

Status Bar

Project-wide dependency health at a glance:

🟢 Dependencies: OK - All up-to-date
🟡 Dependencies: X outdated - Some need updates
🔴 Dependencies: X errors - Issues found

⚡ Quick Actions

One-Click Updates - Update individual dependencies directly from CodeLens
Bulk Updates - Update all outdated dependencies with a single command
File Preservation - Maintains formatting and comments when updating
Progress Feedback - Real-time notifications during updates

🎨 Rich UI

Detailed Webview - Comprehensive analysis panel with statistics and package lists
Theme Support - Respects your VS Code theme (light/dark mode)
Responsive Design - Clean, intuitive interface

🚀 Smart Features

Auto-analysis on Save - Automatically re-analyzes when you save package files
Intelligent Caching - Reduces API calls with smart caching (5min success, 2min error TTL)
Multi-root Workspaces - Handles multiple projects simultaneously
GitHub Token Support - Analyze private repositories with authentication

Installation

From VSIX File

Download the Extension

Download pack-man-vscode-1.0.0.vsix from the vscode-extension directory

Install in VS Code

Option A: Command Palette

Open VS Code
Press Ctrl+Shift+P (or Cmd+Shift+P on Mac)
Type "Install from VSIX" and select the command
Choose the downloaded .vsix file
Reload VS Code when prompted

Option B: Command Line

code --install-extension pack-man-vscode-1.0.0.vsix

Verify Installation

Open the Extensions view (Ctrl+Shift+X or Cmd+Shift+X)
Search for "Pack-Man"
You should see the extension installed and active

From Marketplace (Coming Soon)

Search for "Pack-Man" in the VS Code Extensions marketplace and click Install.

Usage

Automatic Analysis

The extension automatically activates when you open a workspace containing:

package.json (npm/Node.js projects)
requirements.txt (Python/pip projects)
pubspec.yaml (Flutter/Dart projects)

Manual Commands

Access these commands via Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P or Cmd+Shift+P):

Command	Description
`Pack-Man: Analyze Dependencies`	Analyze the active package file
`Pack-Man: Analyze Workspace`	Analyze all package files in workspace
`Pack-Man: Update All Dependencies`	Update all outdated packages in active file
`Pack-Man: Show Analysis`	Open detailed analysis webview

Keyboard Shortcuts

Ctrl+Shift+P A (or Cmd+Shift+P A on Mac) - Analyze Dependencies
Ctrl+Shift+P U (or Cmd+Shift+P U on Mac) - Update All Dependencies

Configuration

Configure Pack-Man through VS Code settings (File > Preferences > Settings or Ctrl+,):

API Endpoint

"packman.apiEndpoint": "https://pack-man.vercel.app"

Change this to use a self-hosted Pack-Man instance.

Auto-analyze on Save

"packman.autoAnalyzeOnSave": true

Automatically re-analyze dependencies when you save package files.

Show CodeLens

"packman.showCodeLens": true

Display inline status indicators above dependencies.

Show Diagnostics

"packman.showDiagnostics": true

Show outdated/error dependencies in the Problems panel.

GitHub Token (Secure Storage)

For private repositories or to increase API rate limits:

Open Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P)
Search for "Preferences: Open Settings (UI)"
Search for "Pack-Man"
Click "Edit in settings.json" for GitHub Token
The token is stored securely in VS Code's SecretStorage

Benefits of GitHub Token:

Access private repositories
Increased rate limits (5000/hour vs 60/hour)
Better reliability for large projects

Supported Package Managers

npm (package.json)

{
  "dependencies": {
    "react": "^18.0.0",
    "axios": "^1.0.0"
  },
  "devDependencies": {
    "vitest": "^4.0.0"
  }
}

pip (requirements.txt)

django==4.2.0
requests>=2.28.0
pytest~=7.3.0

pub (pubspec.yaml)

dependencies:
  flutter:
    sdk: flutter
  http: ^1.0.0

dev_dependencies:
  flutter_test:
    sdk: flutter

Quick Start Example

1. Create a Test Project

mkdir test-packman && cd test-packman

2. Create package.json

{
  "name": "test-project",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "dependencies": {
    "react": "^17.0.0",
    "axios": "^0.21.0"
  },
  "devDependencies": {
    "vitest": "^3.0.0"
  }
}

3. Open in VS Code

code .

4. Observe the Extension

You should see:

⚠️ CodeLens indicators above each dependency showing available updates
🟡 Status bar showing "Dependencies: 3 outdated"
Hover information when you mouse over package names
Warnings in the Problems panel (Ctrl+Shift+M)

5. Update Packages

Click "Update" on any CodeLens indicator to update that package
Or use Pack-Man: Update All Dependencies to update everything

Troubleshooting

Extension Not Activating

Problem: Extension doesn't activate when opening package files.

Solutions:

Ensure the file is named correctly (package.json, requirements.txt, or pubspec.yaml)
Check that the file is in the workspace root or a subdirectory
Reload VS Code window (Ctrl+Shift+P > "Reload Window")