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AudioLab VS Code Extensions Setup

Automated installation and configuration of recommended VS Code extensions for AudioLab development.

🚀 Quick Start

Windows (PowerShell): 

cd "C:\AudioDev\audio-lab\2 - FOUNDATION\03_INFRA\03_00_development_environment\03_00_01_ide_configurations\vscode\extensions"
.\install.ps1

Skip already installed extensions: 

.\install.ps1 -SkipInstalled

Method 2: From Workspace Recommendations

  1. Open any AudioLab workspace file (.code-workspace)
  2. VS Code will prompt: "Do you want to install recommended extensions?"
  3. Click "Install All"
  4. Wait for installation to complete
  5. Restart VS Code

Manual trigger: - Open Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P) - Run: Extensions: Show Recommended Extensions - Click "Install Workspace Recommended Extensions"

Method 3: Manual Command Line

Install all at once (Windows): 

code --install-extension saoudrizwan.claude-dev `
     --install-extension ms-vscode.cpptools `
     --install-extension ms-vscode.cmake-tools `
     --install-extension twxs.cmake `
     --install-extension llvm-vs-code-extensions.vscode-clangd `
     --install-extension github.copilot `
     --install-extension eamodio.gitlens `
     --install-extension streetsidesoftware.code-spell-checker `
     --install-extension gruntfuggly.todo-tree `
     --install-extension aaron-bond.better-comments `
     --install-extension ms-python.python `
     --install-extension redhat.vscode-yaml `
     --install-extension tamasfe.even-better-toml `
     --install-extension vadimcn.vscode-lldb `
     --install-extension webfreak.debug `
     --install-extension ms-vscode.hexeditor `
     --install-extension jeff-hykin.better-cpp-syntax `
     --install-extension cschlosser.doxdocgen `
     --install-extension ms-vscode.powershell `
     --install-extension donjayamanne.githistory

Install individually: 

code --install-extension saoudrizwan.claude-dev
code --install-extension ms-vscode.cpptools
# ... etc

Method 4: VS Code Marketplace UI

  1. Open VS Code
  2. Click Extensions icon (Ctrl+Shift+X)
  3. Search for extension by ID (e.g., "saoudrizwan.claude-dev")
  4. Click Install
  5. Repeat for all extensions

📦 What Gets Installed

Category Count Examples
Core C++ Development 4 cpptools, cmake-tools, clangd, better-cpp-syntax
AI Coding 2 claude-dev, copilot
Git & Version Control 2 gitlens, githistory
Code Quality 3 spell-checker, better-comments, todo-tree
Debugging 2 vscode-lldb, debug
Configuration 2 vscode-yaml, even-better-toml
Scripting 2 python, powershell
Utilities 3 hexeditor, doxdocgen
Total 20 See extensions.md for full list

✅ Verification

After installation, verify all extensions are active:

Command Line: 

code --list-extensions

Expected output should include: 

aaron-bond.better-comments
cschlosser.doxdocgen
donjayamanne.githistory
eamodio.gitlens
github.copilot
gruntfuggly.todo-tree
jeff-hykin.better-cpp-syntax
llvm-vs-code-extensions.vscode-clangd
ms-python.python
ms-vscode.cmake-tools
ms-vscode.cpptools
ms-vscode.hexeditor
ms-vscode.powershell
redhat.vscode-yaml
saoudrizwan.claude-dev
streetsidesoftware.code-spell-checker
tamasfe.even-better-toml
twxs.cmake
vadimcn.vscode-lldb
webfreak.debug

VS Code UI: 1. Open Extensions panel (Ctrl+Shift+X) 2. Filter: @recommended 3. All should show "Installed"

⚙️ Post-Installation Configuration

1. Configure Claude Code

After first install, Claude Code will prompt for API key: 1. Click "Set API Key" 2. Enter your Anthropic API key 3. Restart VS Code

Manual configuration: - Ctrl+Shift+P → Claude: Set API Key

2. Configure GitHub Copilot (Optional)

If you installed Copilot: 1. Click "Sign in to GitHub" notification 2. Authorize in browser 3. Return to VS Code

3. Configure C++ IntelliSense

Choose one:

Option A: Use cpptools (Recommended for Windows): 

{
  "C_Cpp.default.configurationProvider": "ms-vscode.cmake-tools",
  "clangd.enabled": false
}

Option B: Use clangd (Recommended for Linux/macOS): 

{
  "C_Cpp.intelliSenseEngine": "disabled",
  "clangd.enabled": true
}

4. Configure CMake Tools

{
  "cmake.configureOnOpen": false,
  "cmake.buildDirectory": "${workspaceFolder}/build",
  "cmake.generator": "Ninja"
}

🎯 Minimal Installation (Core Only)

If you want only essential extensions:

PowerShell: 

$coreExtensions = @(
    "saoudrizwan.claude-dev",
    "ms-vscode.cpptools",
    "ms-vscode.cmake-tools"
)

foreach ($ext in $coreExtensions) {
    code --install-extension $ext
}

🔧 Troubleshooting

"code command not found"

Fix (Windows): 1. Reinstall VS Code 2. During install, check "Add to PATH" 3. Restart terminal

Manual PATH addition: 

$env:Path += ";C:\Users\<YourUser>\AppData\Local\Programs\Microsoft VS Code\bin"

Extension Installation Fails

Check network: 

Test-NetConnection marketplace.visualstudio.com -Port 443

Clear VS Code cache: 

Remove-Item "$env:USERPROFILE\.vscode\extensions" -Recurse -Force

Retry installation: 

.\install.ps1

Extensions Not Loading

Check output: 1. Ctrl+Shift+U (Output panel) 2. Select "Extensions" from dropdown 3. Look for errors

Reload window: - Ctrl+Shift+P → Developer: Reload Window

Conflicts Between Extensions

Common conflicts:

Extension 1 Extension 2 Solution
cpptools clangd Disable one (see config above)
cmake cmake-tools Keep both (complementary)
copilot claude-dev Keep both (different use cases)

📊 Extension Disk Usage

Approximate sizes: - Core C++ Extensions: ~150 MB - AI Extensions: ~50 MB (claude-dev + copilot) - All Extensions: ~250 MB

Check actual usage: 

Get-ChildItem "$env:USERPROFILE\.vscode\extensions" |
    Measure-Object -Property Length -Sum |
    Select-Object @{Name="Size(MB)";Expression={[math]::Round($_.Sum/1MB,2)}}

🗑️ Uninstallation

Uninstall all AudioLab extensions: 

$extensions = @(
    "saoudrizwan.claude-dev",
    "ms-vscode.cpptools",
    # ... (full list)
)

foreach ($ext in $extensions) {
    code --uninstall-extension $ext
}

Uninstall single extension: 

code --uninstall-extension saoudrizwan.claude-dev

📝 Files in This Directory

File Purpose
recommended.json VS Code workspace recommendations file
install.ps1 PowerShell auto-installer script
extensions.md Detailed extension documentation
README.md This file - installation guide

🚀 Next Steps

After installing extensions:

  1. Open a workspace: 

    cd ..\workspaces
# Double-click AudioLab-ClaudeGrid-8.code-workspace

  2. Configure keybindings: 

    cd ..\keybindings
# See keybindings README

  3. Start coding:

  4. Open Claude Code panel
  5. Start first development task
  6. Verify C++ IntelliSense works

🔄 Keeping Extensions Updated

Automatic updates (recommended): 

{
  "extensions.autoUpdate": true,
  "extensions.autoCheckUpdates": true
}

Manual update: - Extensions panel → Click update icon - Or: Ctrl+Shift+P → Extensions: Update All Extensions

Command line: 

# Update all extensions
code --update-extensions

📚 Additional Resources

For new AudioLab setup:

  1. ✅ Run install.ps1 (this directory)
  2. ✅ Configure Claude Code (API key)
  3. ✅ Open workspace (from ../workspaces/)
  4. ✅ Verify C++ IntelliSense (open any .hpp file)
  5. ✅ Configure keybindings (optional, from ../keybindings/)

Generated for AudioLab development environment Location: 2 - FOUNDATION/03_INFRA/03_00_development_environment/03_00_01_ide_configurations/vscode/extensions/