To check a VS Code extension for malicious code, enter its id (publisher.name) or use the Togoder Security extension inside the editor. Togoder Security downloads the VSIX from the Visual Studio Marketplace, never runs it, and has an AI model read every file in it: the extension's own code, its bundled dependencies and its helper scripts. Extension packs and extension dependencies are scanned too. Extensions for Cursor, VSCodium and Windsurf come from Open VSX and have their own reports.
How to scan VS Code Marketplace extensions
- Find the extension id. It is publisher.name, for example esbenp.prettier-vscode: shown on the extension's page and in the editor's Extensions view.
- Enter it for a free quote. Enter the id at https://security.togoder.click/scan, POST it to https://security.togoder.click/api/quotes, or use the Togoder Security extension in the editor. The price covers only files nobody has scanned before.
- Scan with a prepaid balance or monthly plan. Scan new code from a prepaid balance or with monthly access, in the browser or with an API key. Packages are downloaded and read, never executed.
- Review findings before you install. Read each finding's severity, file and line, then run code --install-extension only once you are satisfied. Every result is also published as a public report.
curl -X POST https://security.togoder.click/api/paid-scan -H "Authorization: Bearer $API_KEY" -F "ecosystem=vscode" -F "packageName=esbenp.prettier-vscode"
API keys work with a prepaid balance or a monthly plan. To see the price first, POST /api/quotes is free. See the package safety API guide.
Where malicious VS Code Marketplace code runs
- Activation: an extension's entry point runs inside the editor's extension host with your user's full rights: files, network, child processes, the integrated terminal. With
"activationEvents": ["*"]oronStartupFinishedit runs every time the editor starts. There is no sandbox. - Bundled code: dependencies ship inside the VSIX as
node_modulesor one minified bundle, where a payload is easy to hide. Every shipped file is reviewed, minified bundles included. - Updates: extensions update themselves by default. A sold or hijacked publisher account can push a malicious version to every user, so each new version needs a new look.
- Extension packs and dependencies: installing one extension can install others (
extensionPack,extensionDependencies). They are scanned with it. - Helper scripts and binaries: shell, PowerShell, batch and Python scripts the extension starts are reviewed. Native binaries cannot be read and are not reviewed.
What is scanned
The VSIX of the version you name, or of the newest release when you name none. For an extension with one build per platform, add the platform to the version, as in 1.2.3+darwin-arm64. Every extension it installs with it is scanned too. The Togoder Security extension for VS Code does all of this from inside the editor, before an install or an update.
Free tools to run alongside
The editor's publisher verification and the gallery's own malware checks are free and always on; malicious extensions have passed them more than once. Check the publisher, the install count and the repository link, and turn off auto-update for extensions you have not reviewed.
Frequently asked questions
Can a VS Code extension run code when I install it?
Installing runs no install script, but the extension's code runs as soon as the editor activates it, often at startup, with the same rights as the editor itself.
How do I scan an extension before installing it?
Enter its id on /scan, or install the Togoder Security extension and right-click any extension in the Extensions view. You see the price first, and files reviewed before cost nothing.
Is scanning VS Code packages free?
Reading existing reports, parsing your file and getting a price quote are free, and so is a scan in which every file was already reviewed by someone. Scanning code nobody has reviewed yet is paid, from a prepaid balance or with monthly access. Free advisory tools are listed on this page.