Codespace loses connection in VS Code randomly while actively working

[Mariustim]

🏷️ Discussion Type

Problem with connection with Codespaces

Hello

I have a problem, where vs code program loses connection frequently and it is getting frustrating A LOT... I have tried everything, reinstalling, disabling not needed add-ons in vs code, disconnecting unnecessary AI assistants/models. Using GitHub copilot Pro+ plan for AI. So after all the things, it is still loses connection.. What have you guys done with this problem?
using Desktop vs code, not browser.

Thing is is that at certain time, everyday, after lunch at about 14:00 (GMT+3) things getting working properly without interruptions, the codespace works fine for a while, but in the mornings especially, it is bouncing back and forth with the connections, I reload the window, it get back and running, does half the task and disconnects in the middle of a task...

Does anyone encounter same connection bouncing problem?

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[antoniorotundo2]

The extensions and AI assistant angle is probably a dead end, since you already ruled that out and the failure mode you describe, a stable connection after 14:00 and instability specifically in the morning, every day, is a network signature rather than an application one. VS Code desktop keeps the Codespaces connection alive as a persistent websocket over port 443 to *.app.github.dev, with a heartbeat maintaining it, so anything that drops idle or long-lived connections, or introduces enough packet loss to break that heartbeat without breaking ordinary browsing, produces exactly this: connects fine, works for a while, then bounces, reload fixes it temporarily.

A recurring daily window like this usually points to one of three things on the network side rather than the editor. A corporate proxy or firewall that is more aggressive about closing idle or long-lived connections during peak office hours, which is common and often invisible unless someone specifically checks proxy logs. Higher network load in the same window, from backups, VPN traffic, or simply more people online before lunch, enough to cause intermittent packet loss that a websocket does not tolerate well even if regular web pages load fine. Or TLS inspection from an antivirus or EDR agent that behaves differently under load, re-negotiating connections and occasionally dropping them.

Two things worth doing to tell these apart. First, VS Code has a built-in diagnostic for exactly this: run the command Codespaces: Collect Logs and Diagnose Connection Information from the command palette during a disconnect, it captures the websocket state and latency at the moment of failure rather than after the fact. Second, a simple continuous ping or mtr to github.dev during both the stable afternoon window and the unstable morning one would show whether packet loss or latency actually changes at that boundary, which would confirm it is network conditions rather than something GitHub-side that happens to correlate with time of day.

If you are on a company network or VPN, it is also worth asking whoever manages it whether there is a scheduled job, a proxy policy, or a stricter idle-connection timeout that applies specifically in the morning, since that would explain the exact boundary you are seeing without needing to touch VS Code at all.

If my answer was helpful to you, please consider marking it as the correct answer, thanks.