Microsoft C/C++ Extension dropped support for non-oficial vscode forks

shirkit · April 14, 2025, 9:02pm

With the latest change, Microsoft removed the ability to run their C/C++ extension from any non-oficial VSCode fork, including non-profit ones like VSCodium.

Are there any plans (besides reverting the extension to previous one) to mitigate this? Or will PlatformIO IDE be VSCode exclusive in the near future?

Maybe going clangd route?

Thanks for this awesome software!

maxgerhardt · April 15, 2025, 8:56am

Best discussed with the maintainers of the IDE extensions. For which there already is an issue:

github.com/platformio/platformio-vscode-ide

Possibility to use Platformio IDE without depending on the ms-vscode.cpptools extension

opened 04:44PM - 08 Apr 25 UTC

kr4fty

I currently use VSCode, VSCodium, under Linux, and when I install PlatformIO IDE…, `cpptools` is installed as a dependency. So far, so good. When I restart and try to open my project, cpptools gives me the following error message: > The C/C++ extension may be used only with Microsoft Visual Studio, Visual Studio for Mac, Visual Studio Code, Azure DevOps, Team Foundation Server, and successor Microsoft products and services to develop and test your applications. Is there a way to use PlatformIO IDE without necessarily having to use `cpptools`? For example, using `clangd`, `clang-forma`t and `clang-tidy` _**Edit:**_ platformio.platformio-ide: v3.3.4 ms-vscode.cpptools: v1.24.5 as an alternative solution downgrade `ms-vscode.cpptools` to version **_1.23.6_**

CC @ivankravets

ivankravets · April 16, 2025, 8:48am

We are always eager to provide true freedom to PlatformIO users. However, our mission does not always align with that of other businesses. Microsoft is a profit-driven company that has never truly prioritized the needs of developers - they simply follow their business interests.

We have an open ticket regarding this issue. At the moment, there is no working solution that can compete with what Microsoft has created. See:

github.com/platformio/platformio-vscode-ide

Publish extensions to open-vsx

opened 12:17PM - 18 Jun 20 UTC

jjchico

feature

# Reason Microsoft does not allow to use C/C++ extension with other editors. …See https://github.com/microsoft/vscode-cpptools/issues/6388#issuecomment-720719298 We are working on an alternative solution for C/C++ code completion and navigation. -------- # Temporary solution 1 You will need to install manually these extensions: - https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=ms-vscode.cpptools - https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=platformio.platformio-ide 1. Open extension in the Microsoft Marketplace following the link above 2. Download extension's VSIX file by clicking on "Download Extension" in "Resources" section (right sidebar) 3. Navigate to VSCodium Extensions view and click "...", select "Install from ".VSIX". 4. Repeat for each VSIX/Extension. Restart VSCodium. # Temporary solution 2 See https://github.com/platformio/platformio-vscode-ide/issues/1802#issuecomment-710683116 -------------- Hi! I'm a [VS Codium](https://github.com/VSCodium/vscodium) user, a FLOSS version of VS Code, it's the same code but without the Microsoft's telemetry and branding. I want to request if possible to add the PlatformIO IDE extension on the [open-vsx.org](https://open-vsx.org/) market so that we doesn't need to works with the Microsoft marketplace as it is unclear if it's legal to use it on VS Code forks, see [here](https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/issues/31168). This is [how to](https://github.com/eclipse/openvsx/wiki/Publishing-Extensions) publish a new extension. Thanks.

ole2 · May 23, 2025, 5:54pm

vscode.cpptools v1.24.4 is the last one NOT having base tool check

rjstone · June 4, 2025, 9:58pm

There’s a related issue that suggests the need for a different C/C++ extension, at least in some cases: The official extension doesn’t support any non-standard keywords (such as type qualifiers like __xdata used by sdcc to specify address space) and the issue has been considered too lacking in demand to implement some sort of grammar-injection solution. At least if there is I can’t figure it out.

rjstone · June 7, 2025, 6:22am

Just in case it is of any use, I was looking at the EmbeddedIDE extension to see what it was doing. I haven’t followed all the code yet, but it looks like they are registering a ConfigurationProvider for both cppTools and clangd:

github.com/github0null/eide

src/EIDEProjectExplorer.ts

0e6454147


      
                          let p = new File(proj.toAbsolutePath(txt));
                          if (p.IsDir()) {
                              return p.GetList(undefined, undefined).map(f => new PathCompletionItem(f));
                          }
                      }
                  }
              };
          }
          
          // -----------------------------------------
          //  cpptools intellisense provider
          // -----------------------------------------
          
          name: string = 'eide';
          
          extensionId: string = 'cl.eide';
          
          private isRegisteredCpptoolsProvider: boolean = false;
          
          private async registerCpptoolsProvider(prj: AbstractProject) {

(Of course I don’t like their extension as much as PlatformIO, though it hasn’t been around as long so not surprising if it isn’t as refined overall.)