VS Code Marketplace publishing requirements

Version 0.2.1 manual upload

The v1.4.1 desktop release includes four matching extension v0.2.1 pre-release VSIX files: Linux x64, macOS arm64, macOS x64 and Windows x64. Download them from GitHub Releases. Upload each tested file as an update to the existing russeldanielpaul.multi-codex extension. Marketplace availability for v0.2.1 remains pending the owner’s manual upload and Marketplace validation. Use Extensions: Install from VSIX… when the matching version or platform is not available in Marketplace yet.

Previous Marketplace release

The owner authorized Marketplace publication under the existing publisher russeldanielpaul. Multi Codex 0.1.1 is published as a free pre-release for Linux x64, macOS Apple Silicon and macOS Intel. All three packages passed native tests and Marketplace validation. Their public downloads match the tested artifacts byte-for-byte; see release evidence and checksums. The original 0.1.0 evidence remains available.

Version 0.1.1 fixes desktop account discovery when VS Code inherits a managed account's CODEX_HOME, and replaces the welcome buttons with a native account list and inline usage. The first account selection attaches automatically. The corrected reader found all six accounts in the owner's existing desktop store without changing its metadata. Native tests on all three platforms verified live attachment, account switching, chat continuation, activity guards and recovery from storage/helper errors without restarting VS Code, either extension or the Codex backend. The website now links to the public Marketplace listing; the publisher management URL is for the owner only.

Account and publisher

  1. A Microsoft account you control. You complete its sign-in and any verification yourself.
  2. A publisher created at Marketplace publisher management, with a permanent unique publisher ID and a display name. The ID cannot be changed after creation.
  3. Use that registered ID in extension/package.json. This release uses russeldanielpaul; the integration harness derives the extension ID and storage path from the manifest.

There is no separate “VS Code account.” Marketplace uses your Microsoft account and publisher identity. Standard extension publishing is free; Codex subscriptions or API usage remain separate. A verified-publisher badge/custom domain is optional.

Package

The extension needs a manifest, version, README, license, a PNG/JPEG Marketplace icon, and the compiled extension plus a native helper for the declared platform. Repository/support links, a changelog and the icon are included. The extension targets Linux x64, macOS Apple Silicon and macOS Intel (macOS 26+), plus native Windows x64. Four target-specific VSIX files (linux-x64, darwin-arm64, darwin-x64, win32-x64) share one extension ID. Remote, browser, WSL and Linux ARM64 are unsupported. Filenames derive from package.json; use npm run package:platform -- <target> instead of typing a version into a workflow.

The native package workflow builds and tests the extracted VSIX on each target operating system, including real VS Code/Codex attachment, identity routing, activity guards and startup restoration. It also checks native Mac Keychain access. Real browser sign-in, credential rotation, quotas and cloud permissions remain separate live-validation limits. The attachment uses private Node hooks and experimental Codex authentication, so publish it with an accurate pre-release description and its queue/API-key limitations. No saved account, auth file, token, local report, or development dependency belongs in the VSIX.

From extension/, with Node 24, Rust and the Linux desktop build libraries installed:

npm ci
npm run build:helper
npm test
npm run test:attachment
npm run package -- --target linux-x64 --pre-release

Set MULTI_CODEX_TEST_ENGINE to the official VS Code extension's bundled engine when running the native storage and engine integration checks. Run npm run test:vscode as well to verify the isolated startup wrapper.

Upload

For this manual update, sign in to the existing publisher, select Multi Codex, and upload each tested VSIX as an update to the same extension and version. Create a new extension only for an initial publication under a new extension ID. A CLI personal access token is unnecessary for this browser upload. Wait for Marketplace validation for every platform before treating the release as available on that platform.

For command-line publishing, use vsce with an authorized Marketplace identity. Microsoft's current documentation recommends Microsoft Entra authentication for automation; global Azure DevOps PATs are scheduled to retire on December 1, 2026. If using an eligible PAT before then, its scope is Marketplace: Manage, and it must belong to an account authorized for that publisher. Keep credentials in a secret store, never in source or chat.

For the previous 0.1.1 Marketplace release, Azure CLI device sign-in completed, but the personal-account consumers endpoint rejected the Azure DevOps scope with AADSTS9002332. Publication therefore used the existing authenticated Marketplace browser, without a PAT. The owner completed the browser CAPTCHA for the Intel upload.

Microsoft's publishing guide documents account setup, manual upload, authentication, platform targets, validation and version updates. Users can install the published pre-release or a local VSIX without creating a publisher.