VS Code Dev Tasks And Generated Launch Profiles
VS Code tasks and launch profiles are generated developer workflow surfaces. They expose common engine commands without making .vscode JSON the source of truth.
How It Works
Workflow command descriptors define tasks for doctor, health, quality gates, pack export, Tracy helpers, and other repeatable commands. Launch profile descriptors define package, binary, feature flags, working directory, environment, and pre/post tasks.
Generated artifact checks catch drift when descriptors and .vscode output disagree.
How To Use It
Add or change workflow commands in the descriptor layer, regenerate artifacts, then let generated artifact validation update the JSON. Do not hand-edit generated task or launch entries unless the descriptor path cannot represent the workflow yet.
When a package or binary is renamed, update the launch descriptor and run generated artifact checks before committing.
Invariants
Generated JSON should be reproducible. Tasks should map to documented CLI workflows. Launch profiles should not hide required environment setup; they should either declare it or depend on a task that does.
Debugging
Broken launch profiles usually come from package/bin renames, feature drift, stale generated artifacts, or cwd/env mismatch. Compare the failing JSON entry with the descriptor that rendered it.