extension.vsixmanifest

The manifest is an XML file at the top of the package, always named extension.vsixmanifest. This page describes what VS Code’s packager, vsce, writes. A Visual Studio package uses the same root element with other contents: see Visual Studio packages.

Outline

The root element is PackageManifest, with a Version attribute of 2.0.0, in the namespace http://schemas.microsoft.com/developer/vsx-schema/2011.

<PackageManifest Version="2.0.0" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/developer/vsx-schema/2011">
  <Metadata>
    <Identity Language="en-US" Id="sample-tool" Version="1.2.3" Publisher="examplepublisher"/>
    <DisplayName>Sample Tool</DisplayName>
    <Description xml:space="preserve">Does sample things.</Description>
    <Tags>sample</Tags>
    <Categories>Other</Categories>
    <GalleryFlags>Public</GalleryFlags>
    <Properties>
      <Property Id="Microsoft.VisualStudio.Code.Engine" Value="^1.85.0"/>
    </Properties>
    <Icon>extension/icon.png</Icon>
  </Metadata>
  <Installation>
    <InstallationTarget Id="Microsoft.VisualStudio.Code"/>
  </Installation>
  <Dependencies/>
  <Assets>
    <Asset Type="Microsoft.VisualStudio.Code.Manifest" Path="extension/package.json" Addressable="true"/>
  </Assets>
</PackageManifest>

`Metadata` and `Identity`

Element or attribute	Holds
`Identity Id`	The extension’s `name` from `package.json`.
`Identity Version`	The extension’s version.
`Identity Publisher`	The publisher identifier.
`Identity Language`	`en-US`.
`Identity TargetPlatform`	The target platform, written only when a target is set.
`DisplayName`	The name shown to users.
`Description`	The short description, with `xml:space="preserve"`.
`Tags`	Search terms.
`Categories`	The Marketplace categories.
`GalleryFlags`	`Public`, with `Preview` added when the extension is marked as a preview.
`Badges`	One `Badge` element (`Link`, `ImgUri`, `Description`) for each badge.
`License`	The path of the licence file, when there is one.
`Icon`	The path of the icon, when there is one.

`Properties`

Each Property has an Id and a Value.

Property `Id`	Value
`Microsoft.VisualStudio.Code.Engine`	The VS Code versions the extension needs.
`Microsoft.VisualStudio.Code.ExtensionDependencies`	The extensions it depends on.
`Microsoft.VisualStudio.Code.ExtensionPack`	The extensions installed with it.
`Microsoft.VisualStudio.Code.ExtensionKind`	Where it can run.
`Microsoft.VisualStudio.Code.LocalizedLanguages`	The languages it is translated into.
`Microsoft.VisualStudio.Code.EnabledApiProposals`	The proposed APIs it uses.
`Microsoft.VisualStudio.Code.PreRelease`	Written only for a pre-release version.
`Microsoft.VisualStudio.Code.ExecutesCode`	Written when `main` or `browser` is set.
`Microsoft.VisualStudio.Code.SponsorLink`	The sponsorship address, from `sponsor.url`.
`Microsoft.VisualStudio.Services.Links.Source`, `Links.Getstarted`	Links to the repository.
`Microsoft.VisualStudio.Services.Links.GitHub` or `Links.Repository`	The repository; `GitHub` for GitHub repositories.
`Microsoft.VisualStudio.Services.Links.Support`	The issue tracker.
`Microsoft.VisualStudio.Services.Links.Learn`	The home page.
`Microsoft.VisualStudio.Services.Branding.Color`, `Branding.Theme`	The Marketplace banner’s colour and theme.
`Microsoft.VisualStudio.Services.GitHubFlavoredMarkdown`	Whether the README uses GitHub-flavoured Markdown.
`Microsoft.VisualStudio.Services.Content.Pricing`	The pricing.
`Microsoft.VisualStudio.Services.EnableMarketplaceQnA`, `CustomerQnALink`	Marketplace questions and answers, when configured.

`Installation` and `Dependencies`

Installation holds one element, InstallationTarget, with Id="Microsoft.VisualStudio.Code". vsce writes Dependencies as an empty element; an extension’s real dependencies are in its properties.

`Assets`

Each Asset has a Type, a Path inside the package, and Addressable="true".

Asset `Type`	Points to
`Microsoft.VisualStudio.Code.Manifest`	`package.json`
`Microsoft.VisualStudio.Services.Content.Details`	The README.
`Microsoft.VisualStudio.Services.Content.Changelog`	The change log.
`Microsoft.VisualStudio.Services.Content.License`	The licence.
`Microsoft.VisualStudio.Services.Icons.Default`	The icon.
`Microsoft.VisualStudio.Code.Translation.`language	A translation, one for each localisation with a VS Code translation.

.VSIX File Format – extension.vsixmanifest

Outline

Metadata and Identity

Properties

Installation and Dependencies

Assets

`Metadata` and `Identity`

`Properties`

`Installation` and `Dependencies`

`Assets`