BuildRunner

Build & Task Management Extension for VSCode, Cursor, Windsurf & compatible editors

In Planning

BuildRunner is a VSCode extension that simplifies compiling, running and managing build processes directly from the editor. It supports multiple build systems, offers a modern sidebar view, a play button to start builds, and automatic tool installation for Linux and Windows.

One-Click Builds Cross-Platform Auto-Install Tools Plugin Architecture

Supported Build Systems

.NET Node.js Go Rust / Cargo Python C/C++ (CMake) Maven / Gradle Custom

Core Features

One-Click Builds

Start, stop and monitor build processes with one click – via play button, tree view, webview or command palette

Tree view with build targets, tools and history

Tree view with build targets, tools and history. Plus a React/TailwindCSS webview panel with dashboard, live logs and build cards

Tool Management & Auto-Install

Automatic detection of dotnet, node, go, rust, python, cmake and more. Missing tools can be installed with one click (Linux & Windows)

Live Logs & Build History

Real-time output streaming with syntax highlighting, filter and search. Full build history with status, duration and logs

Build Profiles & Watch Mode

Predefined profiles (Debug, Release, Test, Custom). Watch mode with auto-rebuild on file changes

Build Dependencies & Chaining

Builds can depend on each other and are automatically executed in the correct order

Advanced Features

Build Statistics: Average build time, success rate, identify slowest builds
Notifications & Alerts: Desktop notifications on build completion, configurable rules, optional sound feedback
Remote Build Support: Run builds on remote machines (SSH, Docker, WSL) for cross-compilation
Build Sharing & Export: Export build logs as txt/html/markdown, share configurations, "Send to Gist" / "Send to Pastebin"
IntelliSense & Quick-Fix: Autocompletion for .buildrunner.json, quick-fix actions for build errors (e.g. missing packages)
Build Queuing: Queue for running builds, visible and manipulable, parallel builds configurable

Tech Stack

TypeScript (strict)

React + TailwindCSS

VSCode Extension API

Vite (Webview-Build)

Mocha + test-electron

GitHub Actions CI/CD

Roadmap

Phase 1 – MVP (Core Functionality)

Extension scaffold, sidebar & tree view, .NET & Node.js providers, build execution with live output, tool detection, play button

Current

Phase 2 – Tool Management & UI

Auto-install for dotnet & node, modern webview panel (React + TailwindCSS), build history, status bar, more providers (Go, Rust, Python)

Phase 3 – Advanced Features

Build profiles, watch mode, build dependencies & chaining, CMake/Maven/Gradle providers, custom targets, multi-root workspace, build statistics

Phase 4 – Polish & Release

IntelliSense, build templates, desktop notifications, build export, quick-fix actions, remote build support, marketplace publishing

Publishing

VSCode Marketplace Open VSX Registry GitHub Releases

Available for VSCode, Cursor, Windsurf and all open-source VSCode forks. Source code and .vsix downloads via GitHub.