extension-review

name	extension-review
description	Audit VS Code extensions against the current project stack and recommend keep/add/remove actions
compatibility	>=3.2

Extension Review

Skill metadata: version "1.1"; license MIT; tags [extensions, vscode, audit, tooling, review, plugins]; compatibility ">=3.2"; recommended tools [codebase, fetch, runCommands].

Review the current project's VS Code extensions and recommend what to keep, add, or remove based on the actual stack in the repository.

When to use

• The user asks to "review extensions", "check my extensions", or "audit VS Code extensions"
• The user wants recommended extensions for the current project
• The user wants to identify duplicate, stale, or irrelevant extensions

When NOT to use

• The user already knows the exact extension they want to install
• The task is to edit .vscode/extensions.json directly without an audit first

Steps

1. Get the installed list - Try to enumerate extensions automatically using the runCommands tool:

   code --list-extensions --show-versions | sort
   

   If the command fails (e.g., code CLI not on PATH or terminal unavailable), fall back to asking the user to run code --list-extensions | sort and paste the output.

2. Profile check - Check whether a repo-specific VS Code Profile is active:

   • Run code --list-extensions | grep -i copilot-profile-tools to detect the companion extension.
   • If installed and the current runtime exposes an active-profile helper tool: use it. If the user is on the Default Profile, recommend creating a dedicated Empty Profile (code . --profile "ProjectName") before proceeding.
   • If installed but no helper tool is available: ask the user to confirm the active profile from the Profiles UI before drawing conclusions.
   • If not installed: note that profile detection is limited. Recommend creating a repo-specific profile to isolate extensions from other projects.

3. Read workspace recommendations - Inspect .vscode/extensions.json and .vscode/settings.json if they exist.

4. Detect the stack - Scan the repository for the actual language, runtime, linter, formatter, test, and config signals that determine which extensions are relevant.

5. Audit agent plugins - Search @agentPlugins in the Extensions view to list installed agent plugins. Agent plugins bundle skills, agents, hooks, and MCP servers. Check for:

   • Plugins that overlap with installed extensions (duplicate functionality)
   • Plugins that contribute MCP servers already configured in .vscode/mcp.json
   • Plugins no longer relevant to the current stack

6. Check MCP-contributing extensions - Some extensions register MCP servers automatically. Cross-reference .vscode/mcp.json with extension-contributed servers to identify:

   • Extensions whose MCP servers duplicate standalone MCP server configs
   • Extensions installed only for their MCP server that could be replaced by a lightweight MCP config

7. Compare installed vs needed - Build three groups:

   • Keep - installed and relevant
   • Recommended additions - not installed but clearly useful for the detected stack
   • Consider removing - installed but irrelevant, duplicate, deprecated, or superseded

8. Handle unknown stacks carefully - If the project uses a tool not covered by the built-in stack table, research the VS Code Marketplace and only recommend candidates that meet all three checks:

   • install count > 100k
   • rating >= 4.0
   • updated within the last 12 months

9. Persist new mappings - If an unknown stack produces a qualified extension recommendation, append the new stack-to-extension mapping to .copilot/workspace/TOOLS.md under Extension registry.

10. Present the report - Use this structure:

    ## Extension Review - <project>
    
    ### Keep
    - `publisher.extension` - why it still fits
    
    ### Recommended additions
    - `publisher.extension` - what it provides | why needed
      Install: Ctrl+P -> `ext install publisher.extension`
    
    ### Consider removing
    - `publisher.extension` - duplicate / unused language / deprecated
    
    ### Agent plugins
    - `plugin-name` - keep / remove / overlaps with `publisher.extension`
    
    ### Notes
    - stack signals discovered
    - unknown stacks researched
    - extension registry updates made
    - MCP server overlaps identified
    

11. Wait - Do not modify .vscode/extensions.json or install/uninstall anything until the user explicitly asks.

Verify

• Installed extensions were obtained (auto-detected or user-provided)
• Profile status was checked and repo-specific profile recommended if needed
• Workspace recommendations were checked when present
• Agent plugins were audited for overlap and relevance
• MCP-contributing extensions were cross-referenced with .vscode/mcp.json
• Every recommendation is tied to an actual stack signal in the repo
• Unknown-stack recommendations passed the install/rating/recency quality gate
• No extension was installed, uninstalled, or written automatically