VS Code opens folders instead of the file manager on some Linux distros

[ishfaqfariq]

I'm using kali linux latest version.And after installing VSC, the drive paths on my desktop are opening in VSC. The paths for drives on my desktop opens just as if its a text file. Its just happing on desktop. I can access my drives from toolbar though. But still its quite strange and uncomfortable. After talking with team, they suggested me to use VSC insider. And due to some reasons, i wasn't able to reply to them for a week. And today i checked and its doing same on both. Kindly Check it out.

Screencast.2021-01-15.21.47.28.mp4

[vscodebot]

(Experimental duplicate detection)
Thanks for submitting this issue. Please also check if it is already covered by an existing one, like:

• Messes with Paths (#113964)

[ishfaqfariq]

Screencast 2021-01-15 21:47:28.mp4.tar.gz

[ishfaqfariq]

In case, if you aren't able to see the recording. kindly check this link out:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Lr9rsWXRHYwd_SNdRdcOY8TbLjepQ5Zu/view?usp=sharing
I've recorded the issue in it.

[Tyriar]

Last I looked into this, distros do all sorts of things when you register a mime type handler in a desktop file. Here is the responsible line, but AFAIK this is how we're meant to do it:

vscode/resources/linux/code.desktop

Line 11 in 36929d3

MimeType=text/plain;inode/directory;application/x-@@NAME@@-workspace;

[ishfaqfariq]

I'm not much technical, I'm new to this distro too. Can you please explain it more. How can i fix this issue? Or you guys will fix it in new update ?

[Tyriar]

Ideally an expert who knows about this will show up to tell us what we're doing wrong. Right now we register as a handler of directories with inode/directory above, the question is why are we taking priority over the builtin file manager.

[ishfaqfariq]

So things are beyond my league. Sorry I wasn't much of a help.

[palexdev]

This must be fixed as a top priority
I can't open folders because VSCode opens instead, this is kinda ridicolous

[rzhao271]

Hi @palexdev, which Linux distro and desktop environment (DE) do you use?

[palexdev]

Hi @palexdev, which Linux distro and desktop environment (DE) do you use?

I'm using Garuda Linux (Arch), GNOME edition

[rzhao271]

Did you install the code package using pacman, or did you download it from the website? The Arch code package already removes the inode/directory handler https://github.com/archlinux/svntogit-community/blob/packages/code/trunk/PKGBUILD#L84, so I don't think this issue should occur using that package.

On Ubuntu, when I type xdg-mime query default inode/directory I get nautilus-folder-handler.desktop. I'm wondering whether you can verify and/or reassociate the mime type following https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/XDG_MIME_Applications?

[palexdev]

I installed visual-studio-code-bin from Chaotic AUR, version 1.74.2-1

If I execute xdg-mime query default inode/directory the output is code.desktop

[schmensch]

This is incredibly infuriating. Just installing VSCode is enough to make my complete computer almost unusable until I find the right xdg-mime command. Please fix this ASAP!

[RokeJulianLockhart]

#114425 (comment)

code-insiders on cpe:/o:opensuse:tumbleweed:20230921 with KDE Plasma 5, using https://en.opensuse.org/Visual_Studio_Code#Install.

It also temporarily removed the file association for file: in https://software.opensuse.org/package/MozillaFirefox for me (though, strangely, it works now).

[TDuffinNTU]

KDE-Neon 5.27 here. Got this issue using the Snap and Deb versions. Note that the below workaround only works for the Deb installation method, likely because the mimeinfo.cache file I modified is sandboxed under snap (and possibly flatpak too).

Solution (workaround) for me was the following:

1. Open mimecache.info with your preferred editor
   kate /usr/share/applications/mimeinfo.cache

2. Move code.desktop to the end of the list of applications under inode/directory:

-- inode/directory=code.desktop;org.kde.dolphin.desktop;org.kde.gwenview.desktop;org.kde.kate.desktop;
++ inode/directory=org.kde.dolphin.desktop;org.kde.gwenview.desktop;org.kde.kate.desktop;code.desktop;

3. Save the file (NB: You need to open/save the file as root!)

The fix should work immediately.

---

I'm not too sure who's responsible for fixing this. It seems that this could happen for any app that wants to assign itself as a potential candidate for opening folders. The fact it only happens on certain distros (namely KDE) suggests that KDE parses the mimeinfo.cache file differently to other environments such as GNOME. In which case, I'll open a bug report on their end.

[RokeJulianLockhart]

The fact it only happens on certain distros (namely KDE) suggests that KDE parses the mimeinfo.cache file differently to other environments such as GNOME. In which case, I'll open a bug report on their end.

Please link the bugs.kde.org bug here when you do, @TDuffinNTU.

[TDuffinNTU]

@RokeJulianLockhart

https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=474920

Here's the bug I've filed with KDE's xdg-desktop-portal-kde project :)

[TDuffinNTU]

@rzhao271

On Ubuntu, when I type xdg-mime query default inode/directory I get nautilus-folder-handler.desktop. I'm wondering whether you can verify and/or reassociate the mime type following https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/XDG_MIME_Applications?

Ubuntu has a preference of Snap packages over debs (Snap VScode is suggested via the graphical store/CLI but the deb version requires manual installation). In which case, it's likely modifications to mimeinfo.cache are being made within a sandbox (or some other location) over the host location (/usr/share/applications/mimeinfo.cache). This is speculation, since I don't really know how the sandboxing and xdg portals work, but I digress.

That may be why xdg-mime query inode/directory may return Dolphin/Thunarr but in practice VScode still attempts to open when xdg-open is invoked from some other sandboxed apps. I noticed this manifested as "nothing happening" but using journalctl -f I quickly found that xdg portal was simply failing to invoke vscode:

[...] xdg-desktop-por[8898]: Error registering file:///[...] for com.visualstudio.code: GDBus.Error:org.freedesktop.portal.Error.InvalidArgument: Invalid fd passed

Whereas using the deb version, VScode launched when attempting to open Dolphin via the same button on the app I was using.

[Ammar64]

Ideally an expert who knows about this will show up to tell us what we're doing wrong. Right now we register as a handler of directories with inode/directory above, the question is why are we taking priority over the builtin file manager.

Because this file specify these privileges /usr/share/applications/mimeinfo.cache
open it with VS Code using this command 'code /usr/share/applications/mimeinfo.cache'
press ctrl + f to search
search for directory
you will find this line

notice that
inode/directory=code.desktop;org.gnome.Nautilus.desktop;

code.desktop is before org.gnome.Nautilus.desktop that's my file manager on gnome Idk what is it on on kali XFCE
simply edit this line to look like this
inode/directory=org.gnome.Nautilus.desktop;code.desktop;
press ctrl + s to save and click on retry as sudo type your password and done

[rzhao271]

Potential upstream issues:

• https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/xdg/desktop-file-utils/-/issues/3 suggests that the order of the entries after running update-desktop-database used to be inconsistent
• https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/xdg/desktop-file-utils/-/commit/448ebe8825a9f9be6f3278fc1ca415cd26dd96d9 fixes the orders of the entries after running update-desktop-database to be sorted by name. Because code comes before org, that could be why code ends up showing up first.

Also see https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=284814, where the suggestion is to add default file associations to mimeapps.list instead.

[crazyboycjr]

For those who want to take a look why xdg chooses vscode over your file manager. This command could be useful.

XDG_UTILS_DEBUG_LEVEL=2 xdg-mime query default inode/directory

[Pointedstick]

Hello! I'm a KDE developer. I can confirm that VSCode should be added to the end of the inode/directory= list, not the beginning. The first entry there gets used as the default app for handling that mimetype, and this should always be a file manager, not VSCode. :)

[bzm3r]

@Pointedstick So, is this an issue on VS Code's end (i.e. is VS Code adding itself first)?

[rzhao271]

@bzm3r It's likely not an issue on our end. Here's a link to a previous comment that suggests some other issues that could be happening #114425 (comment).

I'll also have to confirm whether there's any way code can add itself to the end of the list rather than the beginning of the list with the update-desktop-database command.

[Pointedstick]

It's complicated. There are unfortunately competing standards for how default apps are determined in the Linux world. The problem is that VSCode conforms to none of them.

[ravihlb]

@Ammar64 's solution worked for me, thanks a lot