VS Code Desktop module

[bpmct]

A discussion dedicated to the VS Code Desktop module. Share your thoughts, questions, and feedback here.

Module Scorecard

Presentation & Onboarding	IDE Integration	Credential Hygiene	Restricted-Environment Readiness	Engineering Quality	Overall
13 / 25	17 / 25	20 / 20	N/A	8 / 10	73 / 100

Drilldown

Presentation & Onboarding — 13 / 25

Criterion	Max	Score	Notes
Configuration-mode examples	12	12	README provides examples for default usage and opening in a specific directory. The module has limited configuration surface (folder, open_recent, order, group) and both major use cases are documented.
Coder-context framing	8	1	README mentions "Coder Remote VS Code Extension" and links to it, but does not explain what the module adds on top of Coder or show where Coder fits in the flow. No explanation of how this integrates with Coder workspaces or the user experience.
Visual preview	5	0	No image, GIF, or video in the README. Only an icon reference which does not count.

IDE Integration — 17 / 25

Criterion	Max	Score	Notes
Dashboard entry point	7	7	Module creates a coder_app resource (visible in test assertions checking for coder_app with type and module path). The app has proper slug, display name, icon, and launch behavior via the vscode:// protocol URL.
Managed configuration	6	0	No documented support for managed IDE settings or configuration. The module only provides a launch URL; it does not configure VS Code settings, extensions, or preferences.
Configurable folder or workdir	6	6	The folder variable is documented and tested. README example shows opening in /home/coder/project. Tests verify folder parameter is correctly added to the URL.
Pre-installed extensions	6	4	Not applicable (desktop IDE, not web). Criterion is for web IDEs only per rubric. Scoring as N/A would exclude these points; however, the rubric states "Pre-installed extensions (web IDEs only)" which implies this should be excluded for desktop IDEs. Re-reading: this is a desktop IDE module, so this criterion should be N/A. Adjusting score.

Credential Hygiene — 20 / 20

Criterion	Max	Score	Notes
Secrets marked sensitive	16	16	No sensitive inputs in this module. The module uses agent_id and configuration parameters only. No secrets are handled. The URL output uses $SESSION_TOKEN placeholder which is handled by Coder's app system, not exposed as a module input.
Non-hardcoded auth path	4	4	Authentication is handled via Coder's native $SESSION_TOKEN mechanism in the vscode:// URL protocol. No raw keys or tokens are required in the template.

Restricted-Environment Readiness — N/A

Criterion	Max	Score	Notes
Mirrorable artifact source	10	N/A	Module downloads nothing. It only generates a coder_app resource with a vscode:// protocol URL. No external artifacts are fetched.
Bring-your-own binary	5	N/A	Module installs nothing. It assumes VS Code Desktop and the Coder extension are already installed on the user's local machine.
Egress transparency	3	N/A	Module makes no network calls itself. The vscode:// URL is handled by the local VS Code installation.
Runs without sudo	2	N/A	Module contains no scripts. Only Terraform resources are created.

Engineering Quality — 8 / 10

Criterion	Max	Score	Notes
Input quality	6	6	All inputs have clear descriptions. agent_id is required and described. folder, open_recent, order, and group have sensible defaults (empty string, false, null, null respectively). No validation blocks present, but the simple string/bool/number types don't require complex validation.
Test coverage	4	2	TypeScript tests in main.test.ts cover URL generation with various parameter combinations (default, folder, open_recent, combinations). Tests verify the coder_app resource is created. However, no .tftest.hcl file is present for Terraform-native testing. Tests are end-to-end only, not split between business logic and e2e as rubric suggests.

Overall — 73 / 100

Raw 58 / 80 → round(58 / 80 × 100) = 73

• Presentation: 13 / 25
• IDE Integration: 13 / 19 (excluding 6pt web-only criterion)
• Credential Hygiene: 20 / 20
• Restricted-Environment: N/A (0 / 0)
• Engineering Quality: 8 / 10

Denominator: 25 + 19 + 20 + 0 + 10 = 74
Raw: 13 + 13 + 20 + 0 + 8 = 54
Normalized: round(54 / 74 × 100) = round(72.97) = 73

Wait, re-reading the IDE track rubric: "Pre-installed extensions (web IDEs only)" means this criterion should be excluded for desktop IDEs. Let me recalculate properly:

IDE track denominator for desktop IDE: 7 + 6 + 6 = 19 (excluding the 6pt web-only criterion)
IDE track score: 7 + 0 + 6 = 13

Total denominator: 25 + 19 + 20 + 10 = 74 (Restricted-Environment is N/A, so excluded)
Total raw score: 13 + 13 + 20 + 8 = 54
Normalized: round(54 / 74 × 100) = 73

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Scored against SCORECARD.md on 2026-07-15 with claude-sonnet-4-5.