dev-code 0.1.4

Project · editor · container — simplified

dev-code

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  project · editor · container — simplified

One command. Any project. The right devcontainer.

dev-code is a CLI that opens any project in VS Code inside a devcontainer — instantly, using reusable templates you define once. No more hunting config files. No more copy-pasting devcontainer.json.

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Install

pip install dev-code

Or run without installing via uvx:

uvx dev-code

Tip: Add an alias for the fastest workflow:

alias dev-code="uvx dev-code"

Requires: VS Code with the Dev Containers extension + Docker

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Quick-start

# 1. Seed your first template
dev-code init

# 2. Open any project in a devcontainer
dev-code open dev-code ~/projects/my-app

# That's it. VS Code opens, container spins up.

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Features

• One-command open — dev-code open <template> <path> launches VS Code in a devcontainer instantly
• Reusable templates — define your devcontainer once, reuse it across every project
• Built-in template — ships with the dev-code template out of the box
• Custom templates — create and manage your own with dev-code new
• File sync on launch — copy credentials, configs, and secrets into the container via a dev-code customization block in devcontainer.json
• WSL support — works natively on Windows Subsystem for Linux
• Container dashboard — see all running devcontainers with dev-code ps
• Works with existing config — no new format, just standard devcontainer.json

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Commands

Command	Description
dev-code init	Seed the built-in dev-code template into your template directory
dev-code open <template> <path>	Open a project in VS Code using a devcontainer template
dev-code new <name> [base]	Create a new template (optionally based on an existing one)
dev-code edit [template]	Open a template for editing in VS Code
dev-code list [--long]	List available templates
dev-code ps	Show running devcontainers

Options

Flag	Command	Description
--dry-run	open	Print the devcontainer URI and copy plan without executing
--container-folder	open	Override the in-container workspace path
--timeout	open	Seconds to wait for container to start (default: 300)
--edit	new	Open the new template for editing immediately after creation
--long	list	Show full paths alongside template names
-v, --verbose	all	Enable debug logging

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Templates

Templates are directories containing a .devcontainer/devcontainer.json file. They live in ~/.local/share/dev-code/templates/ by default (XDG-compliant), or wherever $DEVCODE_TEMPLATE_DIR points.

Get started

dev-code init                  # copies the built-in dev-code template
dev-code new my-python         # creates a new template from the default base
dev-code new my-node dev-code  # creates a new template based on dev-code
dev-code edit my-python        # open the template in VS Code to customise it

File sync — copy files into the container on launch

Add a customizations.dev-code.cp section to your devcontainer.json to copy files from your host into the running container:

{
  "customizations": {
    "dev-code": {
      "cp": [
        {
          "source": "${localEnv:HOME}/.claude/credentials.json",
          "target": "/home/vscode/.claude/credentials.json"
        }
      ]
    }
  }
}

Supports owner, group, permissions, and Override fields per entry. Use source/. to copy the contents of a directory.

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Contributing

Contributions are welcome! To get started:

git clone https://github.com/dacrystal/dev-code
dev-code open dev-code ./dev-code

The repo includes a dev-code devcontainer — open it with itself.

Please open an issue before submitting large changes.

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License

MIT