YAML support for VSCode tasks

[mroy-shopify]

The ability to define VSCode tasks in YAML instead of JSON would be super useful, especially since task configurations tend to be repetitive by nature, and we could use YAML anchors in order to DRY away the repetitions. Often, it's only the command that needs to change.

In projects with dozens of tasks, this could cut down the size of the tasks file by well over 50%.

It's 2026. YAML is a pretty universal standard by now.

[mroy-shopify]

Just found this very old issue:

• Allow YAML for all configuration files #4851

Hopefully that decision can be revised 10+ years later.

VS Code should already have the ability to parse YAML by now (because of the AI stuff that uses YAML configs).

YAML can simply be a fallback for JSON, so that it has no impact whatsoever on current users. Only if tasks.json is not found would tasks.yml be parsed (if it exists). People who do not use YAML configs would not be affected at all.

Just parse the YAML and send the resulting object into your current JSON code path (the final result/structure will be the same for both formats).

This could be considered an advanced feature, so no need for Intellisense in tasks.yml either.

[booniepepper]

Side note: Any JSON is a valid YAML file

[RedCMD]

not JSONC tho
// comments are not valid YAML