Discussion: Interest in cross-IDE WebAssembly extension standard?

[Amiya167]

Summary

Hi VS Code team! 👋

We're developing an open standard for WebAssembly-based IDE extensions that enables cross-IDE portability. Given VS Code's ongoing work with WASM extensions, we wanted to reach out and gauge interest in potential collaboration or alignment.

The Standard

Repository: WebAssembly-IDEs-Extension-standard

Key features:

• WIT-based interfaces: Type-safe API definitions using WebAssembly Interface Types
• Capability-based security: Fine-grained permission model similar to VS Code's
• Conformance levels: IDEs can implement subsets progressively (0-5)
• Language agnostic: Extensions in Rust, C/C++, Go, AssemblyScript, etc.

Interface Coverage

Category	Interfaces
Core	lifecycle, logging, context, events, storage
Editor	text, selection, decorations
Workspace	filesystem, project
UI	notifications, commands, menus, quickpick, webview
Language	completion, diagnostics, hover, definition, symbols
Network	fetch, websocket, realtime
Collaboration	crdt, awareness, session (optional)

Why We're Reaching Out

1. Alignment opportunity: Your WASM extension work is impressive. Aligning on interfaces could benefit the broader ecosystem.

2. Ecosystem benefits: A shared standard could allow extensions to work across VS Code, Zed, and other editors implementing the standard.

3. Your expertise: VS Code's extension API is mature and well-designed. We'd love input on our interface design.

Questions

1. Is there interest in participating in or observing the standard's development?
2. Would VS Code consider supporting a subset of these interfaces for WASM extensions?
3. Are there technical constraints or design decisions from your WASM work that we should consider?

We understand VS Code has its own roadmap and priorities. Even feedback on the approach would be valuable!

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Note: This is exploratory. We're not expecting immediate adoption, just opening a dialogue. The standard is currently at v0.1 (draft).

cc @jrieken @bpasero (apologies if these aren't the right people to tag)

[Amiya167]

"Hi @isidorn @dbaeumer, noticed the assignment shuffle — totally understand this touches multiple areas. Happy to jump on a quick call to clarify any questions, or we can async here. Just want to make sure this doesn't fall through the cracks! 🙏"

[Amiya167]

We're not here to overthrow VS Code; we're here to help VS Code become the 'Linux kernel of the editor world'—not the most profitable, but indispensable.

我们不是来颠覆 VS Code 的，我们是来帮 VS Code 成为'编辑器界的 Linux 内核'——不是最赚钱的，但是不可或缺的。

[Amiya167]

Just as LSP made VS Code the editor with the best language support, the WASM extension standard will make VS Code the default runtime for the extension ecosystem. Other IDEs aren't competing; they're validating compatibility for you.

[Amiya167]

Furthermore, we have a Claude Code cluster with a very fast iteration speed. If we don't receive a response before we are production-ready, we will consider issuing a pull request directly.