Enable Marketplace on non MS VSCode Forks.

VSCode_Marketplace_Tutorial.md

Enabling VS Code Marketplace in VSCodium and Trae

Microsoft claims Visual Studio Code (VS Code) is open source, yet it restricts the use of its Marketplace extensions in non-Microsoft products like VSCodium (telemetry/tracking free open source fork), Cursor, Windsurf, Trae, and other VS Code-based IDEs, enforcing what some see as monopolistic control. This guide provides a workaround to enable the VS Code Marketplace in VSCodium and Trae (more to be added soon), allowing you to freely use extensions. Note that using the VS Code Marketplace with non-Microsoft products may violate its terms of use, which state that extensions are intended for use only with Microsoft Visual Studio products. Proceed at your discretion after reviewing the terms.

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Enabling VS Code Marketplace in VSCodium

To configure VSCodium to use the VS Code Marketplace instead of the default OpenVSX Registry, you can either set environment variables or create a custom product.json file. Below are both methods.

Option 1: Using Environment Variables

1. Set the following environment variables in your system:

   • VSCODE_GALLERY_SERVICE_URL="https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/_apis/public/gallery"
   • VSCODE_GALLERY_ITEM_URL="https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items"
   • VSCODE_GALLERY_CACHE_URL="https://vscode.blob.core.windows.net/gallery/index"
   • VSCODE_GALLERY_CONTROL_URL=""

   Example (Linux/macOS): Add to your shell configuration (e.g., ~/.bashrc, ~/.zshrc):

   export VSCODE_GALLERY_SERVICE_URL="https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/_apis/public/gallery"
   export VSCODE_GALLERY_ITEM_URL="https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items"
   export VSCODE_GALLERY_CACHE_URL="https://vscode.blob.core.windows.net/gallery/index"
   export VSCODE_GALLERY_CONTROL_URL=""

   Example (Windows): Use the Command Prompt or PowerShell to set variables:

   setx VSCODE_GALLERY_SERVICE_URL "https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/_apis/public/gallery"
   setx VSCODE_GALLERY_ITEM_URL "https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items"
   setx VSCODE_GALLERY_CACHE_URL "https://vscode.blob.core.windows.net/gallery/index"
   setx VSCODE_GALLERY_CONTROL_URL ""

2. Restart VSCodium to apply the changes.

Option 2: Using a Custom product.json File

1. Locate the VSCodium configuration directory:

   • Windows: %APPDATA%\VSCodium or %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Roaming\VSCodium
   • macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/VSCodium
   • Linux: $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/VSCodium or ~/.config/VSCodium
   • For VSCodium - Insiders, replace VSCodium with VSCodium - Insiders.

2. Create or edit the product.json file in the configuration directory.

3. Add the following content to product.json:

   {
     "extensionsGallery": {
       "serviceUrl": "https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/_apis/public/gallery",
       "itemUrl": "https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items",
       "cacheUrl": "https://vscode.blob.core.windows.net/gallery/index",
       "controlUrl": ""
     }
   }

4. Save the file and restart VSCodium.

Notes

• Some extensions on the VS Code Marketplace may include telemetry or have licenses that explicitly prohibit use in non-Microsoft products.
• Ensure you comply with the VS Code Marketplace terms of use.

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Enabling VS Code Marketplace in Trae

To configure Trae to use the VS Code Marketplace, you need to update the Extension Market URL in the Online Service Settings.

1. Open the Navbar:

   • Locate the navigation bar at the top of the Trae editor.

2. Navigate to Settings:

   • From the navbar, select Trae > Settings> Online Service Settings.

3. Update the Service URL:

   • Remove the existing query in the Marketplace Extension Gallery Service URL field.
   • Replace it with the following URL:

     https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/_apis/public/gallery
     

4. Apply and Restart:

   • Click Apply to save the changes.
   • Restart the Trae editor to apply the new configuration.