A VS Code extension that surfaces just recipes in a persistent sidebar tree view. Click a recipe to run it in an integrated terminal.
- Sidebar tree view — recipes listed under the "Just" activity bar icon
- Click to run — single click on any recipe sends the command to a terminal
- Run with Args — prompt for arguments before running parameterized recipes
- Multi-justfile workspaces — selector lets you switch between justfiles; choice persists across reloads
- Doc comments — recipe descriptions shown from
# commentlines - Nix support — optionally wraps
justwithnix develop --command - File watcher — tree refreshes automatically when justfiles are saved
just>= 1.13 (uses--list-prefix,--list-heading,--unsorted)- VS Code >= 1.95.0
VS Code does not let extensions force a view into the secondary sidebar. To move Just Sidebar to the right:
- Right-click the "J" icon in the activity bar
- Select "Move to Secondary Side Bar"
This is a one-time action and persists across sessions.
| Setting | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
justSidebar.justBinary |
"just" |
Path to the just binary |
justSidebar.useNix |
"auto" |
Run inside nix develop if a flake.nix exists ("auto", "always", "never") |
justSidebar.terminalReuse |
true |
Reuse a single "Just" terminal instead of creating a new one each time |
justSidebar.searchDepth |
3 |
Max directory depth to search for justfiles |
When running a recipe that has parameters, the "Run with Args" button (pencil icon) appears in the tree. Clicking it opens an input box where you can type arguments.
Arguments are passed as a raw shell fragment — your shell parses quotes and spaces. For example, to pass a value with a space: "hello world".
In untrusted workspaces, Just Sidebar will not list or run recipes. Trust the workspace (VS Code will prompt) to enable the extension.
If your justfile lives next to a flake.nix, set justSidebar.useNix to "auto" (default) or "always" to prefix every recipe invocation with nix develop --command.
Errors are logged to the "Just Sidebar" output channel (View > Output, select "Just Sidebar").