isDate is not a function

[Jackfinal]

Describe the bug
[06-12 08:32:17] [error] TypeError: isDate is not a function at attrsToBytes (/Users/zsf/.vscode/extensions/natizyskunk.sftp-1.16.3/node_modules/ssh2/lib/protocol/SFTP.js:2492:45) at SFTP.open (/Users/zsf/.vscode/extensions/natizyskunk.sftp-1.16.3/node_modules/ssh2/lib/protocol/SFTP.js:331:15) at ReadStream.open (/Users/zsf/.vscode/extensions/natizyskunk.sftp-1.16.3/node_modules/ssh2/lib/protocol/SFTP.js:3706:13) at new ReadStream (/Users/zsf/.vscode/extensions/natizyskunk.sftp-1.16.3/node_modules/ssh2/lib/protocol/SFTP.js:3696:10) at SFTP.createReadStream (/Users/zsf/.vscode/extensions/natizyskunk.sftp-1.16.3/node_modules/ssh2/lib/protocol/SFTP.js:305:12) at /Users/zsf/.vscode/extensions/natizyskunk.sftp-1.16.3/dist/extension.js:2:272940 at new Promise (<anonymous>) at a.get (/Users/zsf/.vscode/extensions/natizyskunk.sftp-1.16.3/dist/extension.js:2:272903) at t.default.<anonymous> (/Users/zsf/.vscode/extensions/natizyskunk.sftp-1.16.3/dist/extension.js:2:290755) at Generator.next (<anonymous>) at /Users/zsf/.vscode/extensions/natizyskunk.sftp-1.16.3/dist/extension.js:2:288851 at new Promise (<anonymous>) at n (/Users/zsf/.vscode/extensions/natizyskunk.sftp-1.16.3/dist/extension.js:2:288596) at t.default._transferFile (/Users/zsf/.vscode/extensions/natizyskunk.sftp-1.16.3/dist/extension.js:2:290155) at t.default.<anonymous> (/Users/zsf/.vscode/extensions/natizyskunk.sftp-1.16.3/dist/extension.js:2:289786) at Generator.next (<anonymous>) at /Users/zsf/.vscode/extensions/natizyskunk.sftp-1.16.3/dist/extension.js:2:288851 at new Promise (<anonymous>) at n (/Users/zsf/.vscode/extensions/natizyskunk.sftp-1.16.3/dist/extension.js:2:288596) at t.default.run (/Users/zsf/.vscode/extensions/natizyskunk.sftp-1.16.3/dist/extension.js:2:289622) at t.default.<anonymous> (/Users/zsf/.vscode/extensions/natizyskunk.sftp-1.16.3/dist/extension.js:2:288409) at Generator.next (<anonymous>) at /Users/zsf/.vscode/extensions/natizyskunk.sftp-1.16.3/dist/extension.js:2:286478 at new Promise (<anonymous>) at n (/Users/zsf/.vscode/extensions/natizyskunk.sftp-1.16.3/dist/extension.js:2:286223) at t.default._runTask (/Users/zsf/.vscode/extensions/natizyskunk.sftp-1.16.3/dist/extension.js:2:288301) at t.default.start (/Users/zsf/.vscode/extensions/natizyskunk.sftp-1.16.3/dist/extension.js:2:287835) at /Users/zsf/.vscode/extensions/natizyskunk.sftp-1.16.3/dist/extension.js:2:257336 at new Promise (<anonymous>) at Object.run (/Users/zsf/.vscode/extensions/natizyskunk.sftp-1.16.3/dist/extension.js:2:257266) at Object.<anonymous> (/Users/zsf/.vscode/extensions/natizyskunk.sftp-1.16.3/dist/extension.js:2:302672) at Generator.next (<anonymous>) at s (/Users/zsf/.vscode/extensions/natizyskunk.sftp-1.16.3/dist/extension.js:2:301588) when remote ➞ local /Users/zsf/Documents/work/backend/whaleshop-send-message/tests/TestCase.php
To Reproduce
Steps to reproduce the behavior:
Edit remote file or Download remote file,

isDate is not a function

Expected behavior
A clear and concise description of what you expected to happen.

Screenshots

Desktop (please complete the following information):
版本: 1.124.0 (Universal)
提交: 1b50d58d73426c9171299ec4037d01365d995b78
日期: 2026-06-09T21:29:32-07:00
Electron: 42.2.0
ElectronBuildId: 14159160
Chromium: 148.0.7778.97
Node.js: 24.15.0
V8: 14.8.178.14-electron.0
OS: Darwin arm64 25.2.0

[Wintermilch]

Same for me. Seems to have happened with the last VS Code version (1.124.2)
Quick fix was editing C:\Users\<user>\.vscode\extensions\natizyskunk.sftp-1.16.3\node_modules\ssh2\lib\protocol\SFTP.js and replacing const { inherits, isDate } = require('util'); with const { inherits } = require('util'); const isDate = (d) => d instanceof Date;

[Jackfinal]

Same for me. Seems to have happened with the last VS Code version (1.124.2) Quick fix was editing C:\Users\<user>\.vscode\extensions\natizyskunk.sftp-1.16.3\node_modules\ssh2\lib\protocol\SFTP.js and replacing const { inherits, isDate } = require('util'); with const { inherits } = require('util'); const isDate = (d) => d instanceof Date;

oky, Do i need rebuild the extensions?

[Wintermilch]

@Jackfinal No just restart VS Code

[e-u-shapovalov]

One thing worth flagging: the paths in the patches above point at natizyskunk.sftp-1.16.3, which is a different extension from the one this repository publishes. This repo is the original liximomo.sftp, and its last commits date to 2019 — so a dependency bump isn't going to arrive here. If you're on the natizyskunk.sftp build, that fork's tracker is where this belongs.

On the cause: Node.js 23 removed util.isDate, and VS Code 1.123+ ships Node 24. Every ssh2 below 1.16 still calls it, so it throws as soon as SFTP attributes are serialised — which is why it hits open, download and diff alike rather than one command.

The manual edit does work, but it lives in node_modules, so it's reverted by any reinstall or extension update and has to be redone each time. The durable fix is ssh2 at 1.16 or newer, which only a new build of the extension can deliver.

Disclosure: I maintain an independent fork of this code line — not affiliated with liximomo or with the other forks — which ships ssh2 1.17.0, so this doesn't occur:

https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=EvgeniiShapovalov.wireferry
Source and issue tracker: https://github.com/e-u-shapovalov/vscode-sftp

Mentioning it only because this particular error can't be fixed from the user's side in a way that survives an update.