configuring-editor-settings

name	configuring-editor-settings
version	1.0.0
user-invocable	false
description	Configure shared editor and IDE settings including .editorconfig for cross-editor formatting basics, VS Code workspace settings (.vscode/settings.json, extensions.json, launch.json), JetBrains shared configurations, and conflict resolution between editor configs and formatters. Use when standardizing editor behavior across a team, reviewing IDE configuration files, or resolving conflicts between .editorconfig and Prettier/ESLint. Triggered by: editorconfig, vscode settings, extensions.json, launch.json, editor configuration, IDE settings, workspace settings, format on save, recommended extensions, debug configuration, code workspace.
allowed-tools	["Read","Grep","Glob","Edit","Write"]

Editor Settings Configuration

Standards for shared editor and IDE configuration that ensure consistent formatting, linting, and debugging across all team members.

Purpose

Inconsistent editor settings cause three problems: noisy diffs (tabs vs spaces, trailing whitespace), missed linting (developer doesn't have the right extension), and onboarding friction (new developer spends hours configuring their editor). Shared editor configuration solves all three by checking editor settings into version control as part of the project.

Use this skill when creating .editorconfig, VS Code workspace settings, recommended extensions lists, or debug configurations for a project.

---

.editorconfig

The universal baseline — supported natively by most editors or via a plugin.

Standard Configuration

# .editorconfig
# https://editorconfig.org

root = true

[*]
indent_style = space
indent_size = 2
end_of_line = lf
charset = utf-8
trim_trailing_whitespace = true
insert_final_newline = true

[*.{py,rs,go,java}]
indent_size = 4

[*.md]
trim_trailing_whitespace = false

[Makefile]
indent_style = tab

[*.{yml,yaml}]
indent_size = 2

[*.{json,jsonc}]
indent_size = 2

Rules

Setting	Value	Rationale
root = true	Always at the top	Stops editor from searching parent directories
indent_style = space	Default for most languages	Spaces render consistently everywhere
end_of_line = lf	Unix line endings	Prevents mixed line ending issues on Windows
charset = utf-8	Standard encoding	Prevents encoding-related display issues
trim_trailing_whitespace = true	Clean diffs	Eliminates whitespace-only changes
insert_final_newline = true	POSIX compliance	Many tools expect files to end with newline
trim_trailing_whitespace = false for Markdown	Preserve trailing spaces	Two trailing spaces = <br> in Markdown
indent_style = tab for Makefile	Required by Make	Makefiles require tab indentation for recipes

Language-Specific Indent Sizes

Language	Indent Size	Convention Source
JavaScript / TypeScript	2	Community standard, Prettier default
HTML / CSS / SCSS	2	Community standard
JSON / YAML	2	Human readability
Python	4	PEP 8
Rust	4	rustfmt default
Go	tabs	gofmt default (override with indent_style = tab)
Java / Kotlin	4	Google/Oracle style guides

---

VS Code Workspace Settings

.vscode/settings.json

// .vscode/settings.json
// Team-shared workspace settings. Personal overrides go in User Settings.
{
  // Formatting
  "editor.formatOnSave": true,
  "editor.defaultFormatter": "esbenp.prettier-vscode",
  "editor.codeActionsOnSave": {
    "source.fixAll.eslint": "explicit",
    "source.organizeImports": "explicit"
  },

  // Language-specific formatters
  "[python]": {
    "editor.defaultFormatter": "charliermarsh.ruff",
    "editor.codeActionsOnSave": {
      "source.fixAll.ruff": "explicit",
      "source.organizeImports.ruff": "explicit"
    }
  },
  "[sql]": {
    "editor.defaultFormatter": "dorzey.vscode-sqlfluff"
  },

  // File associations
  "files.associations": {
    "*.env.example": "dotenv",
    "Taskfile*.yml": "yaml"
  },

  // Search exclusions (performance)
  "search.exclude": {
    "**/node_modules": true,
    "**/.git": true,
    "**/dist": true,
    "**/__pycache__": true,
    "**/.pytest_cache": true
  },

  // File nesting (cleaner explorer)
  "explorer.fileNesting.enabled": true,
  "explorer.fileNesting.patterns": {
    "package.json": "package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, yarn.lock, .npmrc",
    "tsconfig.json": "tsconfig.*.json",
    ".env.example": ".env, .env.local, .env.test, .envrc"
  }
}

What Belongs in Workspace Settings

Include	Exclude
editor.formatOnSave	Theme and color settings
editor.defaultFormatter per language	Font family and size
editor.codeActionsOnSave	Keybindings
files.associations	Window/panel layout
search.exclude	Vim/Emacs mode settings
explorer.fileNesting.patterns	Personal productivity extensions
Language-specific formatter config	Telemetry settings

Rule: Workspace settings cover project correctness (formatting, linting, file associations). Personal comfort (theme, font, keybindings) stays in User Settings.

---

VS Code Extensions

.vscode/extensions.json

// .vscode/extensions.json
{
  "recommendations": [
    // Formatting & Linting
    "esbenp.prettier-vscode",
    "dbaeumer.vscode-eslint",
    "charliermarsh.ruff",

    // Language Support
    "ms-python.python",
    "ms-python.vscode-pylance",

    // Database
    "mtxr.sqltools",
    "mtxr.sqltools-driver-pg",

    // DevOps
    "ms-azuretools.vscode-docker",
    "ms-vscode-remote.remote-containers",

    // Git
    "eamodio.gitlens"
  ],
  "unwantedRecommendations": [
    // Conflicts with project formatter
    "HookyQR.beautify"
  ]
}

Extension Rules

Rule	Rationale
Only include extensions the project needs	Don't force personal tools on the team
Include the formatter/linter extensions	Ensures formatOnSave works for everyone
Include language support extensions	Consistent IntelliSense and diagnostics
Use unwantedRecommendations for conflicting extensions	Prevents formatter fights
Don't include themes, icon packs, or productivity tools	These are personal preferences

---

VS Code Debug Configurations

.vscode/launch.json

// .vscode/launch.json
{
  "version": "0.2.0",
  "configurations": [
    {
      "name": "Python: API Server",
      "type": "debugpy",
      "request": "launch",
      "module": "uvicorn",
      "args": ["app.main:app", "--reload", "--port", "8000"],
      "envFile": "${workspaceFolder}/.env",
      "cwd": "${workspaceFolder}"
    },
    {
      "name": "Python: Current File",
      "type": "debugpy",
      "request": "launch",
      "program": "${file}",
      "envFile": "${workspaceFolder}/.env",
      "cwd": "${workspaceFolder}"
    },
    {
      "name": "Python: pytest",
      "type": "debugpy",
      "request": "launch",
      "module": "pytest",
      "args": ["${file}", "-v"],
      "envFile": "${workspaceFolder}/.env",
      "cwd": "${workspaceFolder}"
    },
    {
      "name": "Node: Dev Server",
      "type": "node",
      "request": "launch",
      "runtimeExecutable": "npm",
      "runtimeArgs": ["run", "dev"],
      "envFile": "${workspaceFolder}/.env",
      "cwd": "${workspaceFolder}"
    }
  ]
}

Debug Configuration Rules

Rule	Rationale
Use ${workspaceFolder} variables	Portable across machines
Reference .env file via envFile	Consistent with project env var management
Include configurations for common workflows	Server, current file, test runner
Don't hardcode absolute paths	Breaks on other developers' machines
Name configurations descriptively	Python: API Server not Launch

---

Conflict Resolution

.editorconfig vs Prettier

Both can set indent size and style. Resolution:

1. Prettier reads .editorconfig — it uses EditorConfig values as defaults
2. Prettier config takes precedence — if both specify tabWidth, Prettier config wins
3. Best practice: Let .editorconfig set the universal defaults and Prettier handle JavaScript/TypeScript-specific formatting

.editorconfig vs ESLint

ESLint can enforce indentation rules. Resolution:

1. Disable ESLint indent rule when using Prettier — eslint-config-prettier handles this
2. Let .editorconfig handle indentation for non-JS files
3. Let Prettier handle indentation for JS/TS files

VS Code settings vs .editorconfig

When both are present:

1. .editorconfig takes precedence for the settings it covers (indent, whitespace, newlines)
2. VS Code settings handle everything else (formatOnSave, codeActions, file associations)
3. They complement each other — .editorconfig for universal basics, VS Code for IDE-specific behavior

---

Anti-Patterns

1. User-Specific Paths in Workspace Settings

{
  "python.defaultInterpreterPath": "/home/alice/.pyenv/versions/3.12.7/bin/python"
}

Breaks for every other developer. Use relative paths or let extensions auto-detect.

2. Overriding Personal Preferences

{
  "workbench.colorTheme": "One Dark Pro",
  "editor.fontSize": 14,
  "editor.fontFamily": "Fira Code"
}

These are personal choices. Workspace settings should only enforce project correctness.

3. Missing .editorconfig with Mixed Editors

Team uses VS Code, WebStorm, and Neovim but has no .editorconfig. Each editor uses its own defaults, creating whitespace diffs on every commit.

4. Recommending Conflicting Formatters

Including both esbenp.prettier-vscode and HookyQR.beautify in extensions.json. Developers get different formatting depending on which extension "wins" format-on-save.

5. No Debug Configurations

Every developer creates their own launch.json from scratch. Commit a shared launch.json with the most common debug scenarios.

---

Checklist

Before committing editor configuration:

• .editorconfig present with root = true
• Indent style and size set for all file types used in project
• trim_trailing_whitespace = false for Markdown
• indent_style = tab for Makefile (if using Make)
• .vscode/settings.json has formatOnSave and language-specific formatters
• .vscode/extensions.json lists required extensions
• .vscode/launch.json has common debug configurations
• No user-specific paths in workspace settings
• No personal preference settings in workspace settings
• Formatter conflicts resolved (Prettier + EditorConfig + ESLint)

---

Related Skills and Agents

• configuring-devcontainers skill: Devcontainer customizations.vscode section overlaps with workspace settings — this skill covers the non-container case
• authoring-task-runners skill: VS Code tasks.json can integrate with task runners — coordinate task definitions
• auditing-environment-completeness skill: Checks for presence of editor configuration files
• environment_scaffolder agent: Generates editor configuration as part of complete environment setup
• environment_auditor agent: Detects missing or inconsistent editor configuration