A VS Code extension that greets you with a random programming fortune delivered by an ASCII cow (or other character) every time VS Code starts up.
Features
- Startup greeting — a fortune appears in a webview panel when VS Code launches
- Enable / Disable — toggle the extension on or off at any time
- Multiple characters — choose from
cow,tux,dragon,ghostbusters, orsheep - Quote type filter — show
short,long, orbothquote styles - Custom quote management — add, remove, and list your own quotes
- Custom-only mode — optionally show only your custom quotes
- Auto-close panel — the fortune panel closes itself after 30 seconds
Commands
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
Fortune Cowsay: Enable |
Enable the extension |
Fortune Cowsay: Disable |
Disable the extension |
Fortune Cowsay: Show Fortune Now |
Show a fortune immediately |
Fortune Cowsay: Add Custom Quote |
Add a quote to your personal collection |
Fortune Cowsay: Remove Custom Quote |
Remove a custom quote |
Fortune Cowsay: List All Quotes |
Browse all available quotes |
Fortune Cowsay: Reset to Default Quotes |
Remove all custom quotes and reset settings |
Settings
| Setting | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
fortuneCowsay.enabled |
boolean | true |
Show fortune on startup |
fortuneCowsay.cowCharacter |
string | "cow" |
ASCII character: cow, tux, dragon, ghostbusters, sheep |
fortuneCowsay.quoteType |
string | "short" |
Quote length: short, long, both |
fortuneCowsay.useCustomOnly |
boolean | false |
Only show your custom quotes |
fortuneCowsay.customQuotes |
array | [] |
Your personal quote collection |
Quote Collection
The default quotes are ported from fortune.nvim — a curated collection of programming wisdom from Linus Torvalds, Donald Knuth, Kent Beck, and many others.
Development
# Install dependencies
npm install
# Compile TypeScript
npm run compile
# Watch for changes
npm run watch
# Open in Extension Development Host
# Press F5 in VS Code
Project Structure
fortune-cowsay/
├── src/
│ ├── extension.ts # Entry point, commands, webview
│ ├── cowsay.ts # ASCII art rendering
│ ├── fortuneManager.ts # Quote management & config
│ └── quotes.ts # Default quote collections
├── package.json # Extension manifest
└── tsconfig.json