Firmware Task Manager

A VSCode extension that runs tasks defined in .vscode/tasks.json with interactive parameter prompts — serial port pickers, file dialogs, and validated text input — tailored for firmware development workflows.

Features

• Activity bar view that lists tasks defined in the workspace (.vscode/tasks.json)
• Run / terminate / restart tasks directly from the tree
• Favorite frequently used tasks
• Interactive input commands usable from the standard inputs array of tasks.json:
  • Auto-detected serial port picker (pickSerialPort)
  • Validated text prompt (promptInput)
  • File / folder pickers (pickFile, pickFolder)
  • Dynamic list picker (pickFromList)
• Pre-configure inputs without running: a gear icon ⚙️ next to tasks with ${input:...} variables opens the input UI without launching the task; the selected values are stored and reused on the next ▶ run (no re-prompt). Current values appear as a description next to the task name (e.g. flash port=/dev/cu.usbserial · cfg=debug).
• Remembers the last value entered per task and prefills it on the next run

Input commands

Use these commands as "type": "command" inputs in your tasks.json.

Command	Purpose	Args
firmware-task.pickSerialPort	Auto-detects and lets the user pick a serial port. Falls back to manual entry if none detected.	placeholder, filter (regex)
firmware-task.promptInput	Free-form text prompt.	prompt, placeholder, value, password, validateRegex, validateMessage
firmware-task.pickFile	File picker (showOpenDialog).	title, openLabel, filters, defaultUri, canSelectMany, relative
firmware-task.pickFolder	Folder picker.	title, openLabel, defaultUri, relative
firmware-task.pickFromList	QuickPick over a custom list.	items (string[] or {label,value,description}[]), placeholder

Example tasks.json

{
  "version": "2.0.0",
  "tasks": [
    {
      "label": "Serial Monitor",
      "type": "shell",
      "command": "pyserial-miniterm ${input:port} ${input:baud}"
    },
    {
      "label": "Flash Firmware",
      "type": "shell",
      "command": "openocd -f interface/stlink.cfg -c 'program ${input:bin} verify reset exit'"
    }
  ],
  "inputs": [
    { "id": "port", "type": "command", "command": "firmware-task.pickSerialPort" },
    {
      "id": "baud",
      "type": "command",
      "command": "firmware-task.promptInput",
      "args": { "prompt": "Baud rate", "value": "115200", "validateRegex": "^\\d+$" }
    },
    {
      "id": "bin",
      "type": "command",
      "command": "firmware-task.pickFile",
      "args": { "filters": { "Firmware": ["bin", "hex", "elf"] } }
    }
  ]
}

Variables (${input:port}, etc.) are substituted by Firmware Task Manager when you launch the task from its tree view. Standard VSCode promptString and pickString input types are also supported.

Run in an existing terminal

VSCode tasks always spawn a fresh task terminal, which does not inherit the environment of a terminal you already set up (e.g. an ESP-IDF terminal where export.sh / export.ps1 was sourced). To reuse such a terminal, add "runInActiveTerminal": true to the task. When set, running the task types the command into a terminal instead of launching a new task terminal:

{
  "label": "build",
  "type": "shell",
  "command": "idf.py build",
  "runInActiveTerminal": true,   // type into a terminal instead of a new task terminal
  "terminalName": "ESP-IDF"      // optional: always target this named terminal (created if missing)
}

Terminal selection priority:

1. terminalName given → the terminal with that exact name (created if none exists). Use this to pin sends to one terminal when several are open.
2. Otherwise → the active terminal.
3. If no terminal is open → a new one is created with the default profile (so a configured terminal profile, e.g. one that sources the IDF environment, still applies).

The command is sent with a trailing newline, so it executes immediately.

Notes / limitations:

• runInActiveTerminal and terminalName are custom keys, so VSCode's editor may flag them with a "not allowed" warning. This is cosmetic — the extension reads them directly from tasks.json and they work regardless.
• Commands sent this way are not tracked as VSCode task executions: the tree's running indicator, Terminate, Restart, and the running-count badge do not apply to them. ${input:...} substitution is still applied.

Build shortcut (Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+B)

VSCode's Run Build Task shortcut runs the default build task through its native task system, which bypasses this extension — so runInActiveTerminal would be ignored. To fix that, mark your build task as the default build task and add runInActiveTerminal:

{
  "label": "idf-build",
  "type": "shell",
  "command": "idf.py build",
  "runInActiveTerminal": true,
  "group": { "kind": "build", "isDefault": true }
}

When a workspace contains a default build task (group.kind = "build", isDefault = true) with runInActiveTerminal: true, the extension reroutes the build shortcut to itself so the command is sent to your terminal:

• macOS: Cmd+Shift+B · Windows / Linux: Ctrl+Shift+B (matches the native bindings).
• The override is scoped by the firmwareTask.hasBuildInTerminal context key — it only takes effect in workspaces that actually have such a task. Other projects keep the normal VSCode build behavior.
• ${input:...} is resolved exactly like a tree-view run. (Remembered input values are cached per task; values entered via the tree are not shared with the shortcut path, so the first shortcut run of an input-bearing task may prompt once.)

Configuration

Setting	Default	Description
firmwareTask.showOnlyWorkspaceTasks	true	Show only tasks defined in .vscode/tasks.json. Set to false to also show auto-detected tasks (CMake, npm, tsc, etc.).
firmwareTask.rememberInputs	true	Remember last entered input values per task and prefill on subsequent runs.
firmwareTask.serialPortFilter	""	Regex applied to detected serial port device names.
firmwareTask.exclude	null	Regex pattern for excluding tasks by name.
firmwareTask.collapseLargeTaskTree	true	Collapse top-level groups when there are more than three groups and more than 30 tasks.
firmwareTask.taskSortOrder	"label"	Sort order: "label", "group", or "provider".
firmwareTask.favorites	[]	Saved favorite task ids (workspace settings).

Installation (local VSIX)

pnpm install
pnpm run vsix
# → dist-vsix/firmware-task-manager-1.0.0.vsix

Install it in VSCode via Extensions: Install from VSIX... in the command palette, or from the CLI:

code --install-extension dist-vsix/firmware-task-manager-1.0.0.vsix

Development

pnpm install
pnpm run watch       # rolldown + tsc in watch mode
# Press F5 in VSCode to launch the Extension Development Host

Credits

This extension is based on cnshenj/vscode-task-manager, with modifications focused on firmware development workflows (serial port picking, file dialogs, per-task remembered inputs, copy-command-line action, etc.).

License

MIT