VS Code Bug Report Source Control Not Displaying Staged Typechanged Files Symlinks Discussion

by StackCamp Team 94 views

Hey guys! We've got a bug report here about a rather annoying issue in VS Code's source control. Specifically, it looks like staged typechanged files are disappearing from the staged changes list, especially when symlinks are involved. Let's dive into the details and see what's going on.

Bug Description

The main problem: When files with the typechanged status are staged in VS Code, they vanish from the staged changes view. This makes it difficult to keep track of changes and commit them properly.

To reiterate the core issue, it appears that when typechanged files are staged, they simply disappear from the staged changes list within VS Code's source control panel. This is problematic because users lose visibility of these changes, making it difficult to manage and commit them. This bug significantly impacts workflow efficiency and can lead to confusion, especially in projects with frequent file type modifications or those heavily reliant on symbolic links. The inability to see staged typechanged files hinders the user's ability to accurately review changes before committing, potentially leading to unintended commits or the accidental omission of important modifications. This lack of visibility can also complicate collaboration within teams, as developers may not be aware of all the changes made by their colleagues. Therefore, resolving this typechanged files visibility issue is crucial for maintaining a smooth and reliable development experience within VS Code.

Environment

  • VS Code version: Code 1.104.2 (e3a5acfb517a443235981655413d566533107e92, 2025-09-24T11:21:37.073Z)
  • OS version: Windows_NT x64 10.0.19045
  • Remote OS version: Linux x64 6.8.0-84-generic (via SSH)

Let's break down the environment details further. The bug was reported in VS Code version 1.104.2, which is a specific build identified by the hash e3a5acfb517a443235981655413d566533107e92 and dated September 24, 2025. This information is crucial for developers attempting to reproduce the bug and verify any potential fixes. The local operating system is Windows_NT x64 10.0.19045, indicating a 64-bit version of Windows 10. However, the development environment also involves a remote connection via SSH to a Linux machine running kernel version 6.8.0-84-generic. This remote setup suggests that the bug might be related to interactions between VS Code's source control and the remote file system, especially when dealing with file type changes and symbolic links. Understanding this cross-platform aspect is important because the behavior of file systems and symbolic links can differ between Windows and Linux, potentially contributing to the issue. Therefore, any solution needs to consider the complexities of this remote development environment.

System Info

Here's a peek at the system specs:

  • CPUs: Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-2500K CPU @ 3.30GHz (4 cores)
  • GPU Status: Some features unavailable or disabled (likely due to remote setup)
  • Memory (System): 31.92GB (8.49GB free)
  • Remote CPUs: Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-2500K CPU @ 3.30GHz (2 cores - hmm, discrepancy with local?)
  • Remote Memory (System): 7.71GB (4.62GB free)

The system information provides a snapshot of the hardware and resource availability on both the local and remote machines. The local machine is equipped with an Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-2500K CPU @ 3.30GHz with 4 cores and 31.92GB of system memory, of which 8.49GB is free. The GPU status indicates that several features are either unavailable or disabled, which could be due to the remote setup or specific configurations. On the remote side, the system also uses an Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-2500K CPU @ 3.30GHz, but it is reported to have only 2 cores, which is a notable discrepancy compared to the local machine's 4 cores. Additionally, the remote system has 7.71GB of memory, with 4.62GB free. This discrepancy in CPU core count between the local and remote systems might suggest differences in the virtual machine or container configuration on the remote server. The overall system resource availability, especially memory, is important to consider as it can impact VS Code's performance, particularly when handling large projects or complex source control operations. Analyzing these system specifications helps to identify potential bottlenecks or resource constraints that might contribute to the observed bug with staged typechanged files.

Extensions (188)

Lots of extensions installed! Listing them all here would be massive, but some notable ones include:

  • Better Comments, C/C++ Makefile Project
  • Bookmarks
  • Various theme extensions
  • ARM support
  • Memory Inspector, Peripheral Inspector
  • LogFileHighlighter
  • Codespaces, RemoteHub
  • vscode-drawio
  • Output Colorizer
  • Better C++ Syntax
  • ...and many more!

Having a large number of extensions installed can sometimes lead to conflicts or unexpected behaviors in VS Code. In this case, there are 188 extensions listed, covering a wide range of functionalities from code highlighting and project management to remote development and debugging tools. Some of the notable extensions include better-comments, c-cpp-makefile-project, Bookmarks, and several theme-related extensions. Extensions like memory-inspector and peripheral-inspector suggest the user is involved in low-level development or debugging, while LogFileHighlighter indicates frequent analysis of log files. The presence of Codespaces and RemoteHub alongside remote-ssh, remote-containers, and remote-wsl extensions confirms the use of remote development environments, aligning with the OS information provided earlier. Additionally, extensions like vscode-drawio, output-colorizer, and better-cpp-syntax enhance the coding and visualization experience. Given the sheer number of extensions, it is possible that one or more of them are interacting in a way that triggers the bug with staged typechanged files. To troubleshoot this, it might be necessary to disable extensions selectively to identify any potential conflicts or problematic interactions. This process of elimination can help pinpoint the root cause of the issue and ensure a more stable development environment.

A/B Experiments

Several A/B experiments are active, which might be relevant but hard to say without more context. These experiments often tweak VS Code's behavior for testing purposes.

A/B experiments are a common practice in software development to test new features or changes by exposing them to a subset of users. In this context, several A/B experiments are listed as active, each identified by a unique code. These experiments can potentially influence VS Code's behavior, and it is conceivable that one of them might be related to the bug with staged typechanged files. However, without specific details about what each experiment does, it is difficult to determine their relevance. Some experiments, like vsliv368 and binariesv615, might be related to core VS Code functionalities, while others, such as dwcopilot and copilot_t_ci, likely involve the GitHub Copilot integration. Experiments like pythonrdcb7 and usemplatestapi might be specific to Python development, and those with names like nes-set-on and aa_t are less transparent in their purpose. The presence of these experiments highlights the dynamic nature of VS Code's development and the potential for unexpected interactions between different features. To effectively troubleshoot the bug, it might be necessary to understand the scope and impact of these experiments, possibly by consulting the VS Code development team or checking relevant documentation. This understanding can help rule out any experiments that might be contributing to the issue or provide clues about potential workarounds or fixes.

Steps to Reproduce

Unfortunately, the bug report doesn't include explicit steps to reproduce the issue. However, we can infer that it involves:

  1. Having files with the typechanged status (likely due to changes in file type or symlink targets).
  2. Staging these files in VS Code's source control.
  3. Observing that the staged files disappear from the staged changes list.

To effectively address this bug, it's essential to have clear and reproducible steps. Based on the provided information, we can infer a general outline of how to reproduce the issue, but more detailed instructions are needed for a thorough investigation. The process likely involves starting with a repository that includes files, potentially including symbolic links, and modifying the file types or targets of these symbolic links. This action would result in a typechanged status for the affected files in the source control. The critical step is then staging these typechanged files within VS Code's source control panel. The reported bug is that these staged files subsequently disappear from the staged changes list, making them invisible to the user. To create a robust set of reproduction steps, it would be beneficial to include specific examples of file types, directory structures, and the exact commands or actions that trigger the typechanged status. Additionally, documenting the expected behavior (i.e., the files should remain visible in the staged changes list) versus the actual behavior (i.e., the files disappear) is crucial. This detailed approach ensures that developers can consistently replicate the bug, which is a prerequisite for identifying the root cause and implementing a fix. Therefore, providing precise steps to reproduce is a key next step in resolving this issue.

Expected Behavior

Staged typechanged files should remain visible in the staged changes list.

In any source control system, the expected behavior when staging files is that those files should remain visible in the staged changes area. This visibility allows users to review their changes, confirm they are correct, and then commit them with confidence. Specifically, when files have a typechanged status, indicating a change in file type or symbolic link target, staging these files should add them to the list of changes that are ready to be committed. The user expectation is that these typechanged files will be clearly displayed alongside other staged modifications, providing a comprehensive overview of the pending commit. This transparency is essential for maintaining a clean and accurate commit history and for avoiding accidental omissions of important changes. The reported bug, where staged typechanged files disappear from the staged changes list, directly contradicts this expected behavior. This discrepancy not only disrupts the user workflow but also increases the risk of errors and inconsistencies in the codebase. Therefore, restoring the correct visibility of staged typechanged files is crucial for ensuring the reliability and usability of VS Code's source control features. Addressing this bug will align VS Code's behavior with standard source control practices and improve the overall development experience.

Actual Behavior

Staged typechanged files disappear from the staged changes list.

The actual behavior observed in this bug report is that when typechanged files are staged within VS Code's source control, they disappear from the staged changes list. This unexpected behavior is a significant deviation from the norm in source control systems, where staged files are expected to remain visible until they are committed. The disappearance of these files means that users lose track of the changes they have staged, making it difficult to review and manage their modifications before committing. This issue can lead to confusion and potentially result in unintended commits or the accidental omission of important changes. The fact that this bug specifically affects typechanged files, which often involve changes in file types or symbolic link targets, suggests a possible interaction between VS Code's source control system and the handling of these specific file status types. This discrepancy between the expected and actual behavior not only disrupts the user workflow but also undermines the reliability of VS Code's source control integration. Therefore, resolving this bug is critical for ensuring that VS Code provides accurate and consistent feedback to users about the state of their changes and staged files.

Possible Cause

It's speculated that this might be related to how VS Code handles symlinks, but further investigation is needed.

While the exact cause of the bug remains uncertain, the report speculates that it might be related to how VS Code handles symbolic links, or symlinks. Symlinks are essentially pointers to other files or directories, and they can sometimes introduce complexities in source control systems due to their unique nature. The typechanged status, which is associated with the bug, often occurs when the target of a symlink is modified or when a regular file is converted into a symlink (or vice versa). This connection suggests that VS Code's source control might have a specific issue with tracking and displaying changes involving symlinks. However, this is currently just a hypothesis, and further investigation is needed to confirm this suspicion and pinpoint the exact mechanism causing the staged files to disappear. This investigation would likely involve examining VS Code's source control code, particularly the parts that handle file status updates and the display of staged changes. It might also require debugging the interaction between VS Code and the underlying Git repository to understand how these changes are being processed. Understanding the role of symlinks is crucial because they are commonly used in development environments to manage dependencies and file organization. Therefore, a fix for this bug would not only improve the user experience but also ensure the proper handling of symlinks in VS Code's source control.

Next Steps

  1. Need steps to reproduce! Can anyone provide a clear set of steps to reliably trigger this bug?
  2. Investigate symlink handling: If symlinks are indeed the culprit, how does VS Code handle them differently from regular files?
  3. Check for related issues: Are there similar bug reports or discussions already open?

To effectively address this bug, several next steps are crucial. The first and foremost is the need for clear steps to reproduce the issue reliably. Without a consistent way to trigger the bug, it's challenging for developers to investigate the root cause and verify any potential fixes. Therefore, anyone experiencing this issue is encouraged to provide detailed instructions on how to replicate the behavior, including specific file types, directory structures, and commands used. The second step involves a deeper investigation into symlink handling within VS Code's source control. If the speculation about symlinks being the culprit holds true, understanding how VS Code processes them differently from regular files is essential. This investigation might involve examining the codebase, debugging the interaction with Git, and analyzing how file status changes are tracked and displayed. Finally, it's important to check for related issues in existing bug reports and discussions. This step helps to avoid duplicate efforts and can provide valuable insights from other users who may have encountered similar problems. By consolidating information and collaborating on potential solutions, the community can contribute to a more robust and reliable development environment. Therefore, these next steps are critical for moving forward in resolving this bug and improving VS Code's source control functionality.

Let's get this fixed, guys! Any help in providing reproduction steps or further insights would be greatly appreciated.