Expose local ports to the internet during debugging with full F5 integration.

Quick Start

Add a task to .vscode/tasks.json:

{
  "label": "Start Tunnel",
  "type": "devtunnel",
  "port": 3000,
  "isBackground": true,
  "problemMatcher": "$devtunnel-host"
}

Reference it in .vscode/launch.json:

{
  "name": "Debug",
  "type": "node",
  "request": "launch",
  "program": "${workspaceFolder}/app.js",
  "preLaunchTask": "Start Tunnel",
  "postDebugTask": "Stop Tunnel"
}

Add a stop task:

{
  "label": "Stop Tunnel",
  "type": "devtunnel",
  "operation": "stop"
}

Press F5. The tunnel starts, your app launches, and you get a public URL. Stop debugging, the tunnel stops.

See the test/ folder for working sample applications (.NET and JavaScript) with pre-configured tasks and launch configs.

How It Works

On activation, checks for the devtunnel CLI — prompts to install if missing, prompts to upgrade if outdated
Installs/upgrades using the OS package manager (brew on macOS, winget on Windows, install script on Linux)
Authenticates via GitHub or Microsoft (prompts on first use)
Creates a tunnel, forwards your port, and writes the URL to your env file
Tears down on stop

The status bar shows the CLI status at a glance: installed version, update available, or not installed.

What's Included

Contribution	Name	Description
Task Provider	`devtunnel`	Host and stop tunnels as VS Code tasks
Problem Matcher	`$devtunnel-host`	Detects when the tunnel is ready so dependant tasks can proceed
Command	`Dev Tunnels: Show Version Status`	Shows CLI version and auth status in the status bar
Settings	`devtunnels.cliPath`, `devtunnels.authMethod`	Configure CLI path and authentication method

Temporary Tunnels

The default. A new tunnel is created each debug session and discarded on stop. No setup, no leftover resources.

{
  "label": "Start Tunnel",
  "type": "devtunnel",
  "port": 3000,
  "isBackground": true,
  "problemMatcher": "$devtunnel-host"
}

Persistent Tunnels

A named tunnel that survives across sessions. Same URL every time, ideal for webhook endpoints or sharing with teammates. Tunnels expire after 30 days by default — override with expiration.

{
  "label": "Start Tunnel",
  "type": "devtunnel",
  "tunnelType": "persistent",
  "tunnelId": "my-api",
  "port": 3000,
  "access": "anonymous",
  "expiration": "7d",
  "isBackground": true,
  "problemMatcher": "$devtunnel-host"
}

The extension creates the tunnel if it doesn't exist, adds the port, and configures access automatically.

To stop a specific persistent tunnel, include tunnelId in the stop task:

{
  "label": "Stop Tunnel",
  "type": "devtunnel",
  "operation": "stop",
  "tunnelId": "my-api"
}

Omitting tunnelId from a stop task stops all running tunnels.

Writing the Tunnel URL to Your App

Set envFilePath to write the tunnel URL into an existing file:

{
  "label": "Start Tunnel",
  "type": "devtunnel",
  "port": 3000,
  "envFilePath": ".env",
  "isBackground": true,
  "problemMatcher": "$devtunnel-host"
}

Supported formats (detected from file extension):

Extension	Format	Output
`.env`, `.env.*`	dotenv	`DEVTUNNEL_URL=https://...`
`.json`	JSON	`{ "DevTunnelUrl": "https://..." }`

The variable name defaults to DEVTUNNEL_URL for dotenv and DevTunnelUrl for JSON. Override it with envUrlVariable:

"envFilePath": "appsettings.Development.json",
"envUrlVariable": "TunnelUrl"

Values are merged into existing file content — nothing else is overwritten.

Access Control

By default, only you can access the tunnel (requires authentication). Open it up when you need to:

Value	Who can connect
(omitted)	Only you (authenticated)
`"anonymous"`	Anyone with the URL
`"tenant"`	Anyone in your Entra ID tenant
`{ "org": "name" }`	Members of a GitHub organization

"access": "anonymous"

Task Reference

Host (default operation)

Property	Type	Default	Description
`port`	`number`	—	Port to forward
`tunnelType`	`"temporary"` \| `"persistent"`	`"temporary"`	Tunnel lifecycle
`tunnelId`	`string`	—	Tunnel ID (required for persistent)
`access`	`"anonymous"` \| `"tenant"` \| `{ "org": "..." }`	authenticated only	Access control
`protocol`	`"auto"` \| `"http"` \| `"https"`	`"auto"`	Port protocol
`expiration`	`"1h"` `"2h"` `"4h"` `"8h"` `"1d"` `"2d"` `"7d"` `"14d"` `"30d"`	—	Tunnel expiration
`description`	`string`	—	Tunnel description
`labels`	`string[]`	—	Searchable labels
`hostHeader`	`string`	—	Host header rewrite (`"unchanged"` to keep original)
`originHeader`	`string`	—	Origin header rewrite (`"unchanged"` to keep original)
`requestTimeout`	`number`	—	Timeout (seconds) for forwarded requests. `0` to disable
`envFilePath`	`string`	—	Path to write tunnel URL to (`.env` or `.json`)
`envUrlVariable`	`string`	`"DEVTUNNEL_URL"` (dotenv) / `"DevTunnelUrl"` (json)	Variable name for the URL

Stop

Property	Type	Default	Description
`operation`	`"stop"`	—	Required for stop tasks
`tunnelId`	`string`	—	Stop a specific tunnel (omit to stop all)

Settings

Setting	Default	Description
`devtunnels.cliPath`	`"devtunnel"`	Path to the CLI executable
`devtunnels.authMethod`	`"browser"` \| `"deviceCode"`	Authentication method

Requirements

Dev Tunnels CLI
A GitHub or Microsoft account

Dev Tunnels