Darling Notes is a lightweight VS Code extension for leaving private, workspace-local notes directly on selected code. It is built for those small implementation details, review thoughts, reminders, and "why is this here?" explanations that should stay close to the code without becoming noisy TODO comments.
Features
- Add notes to any selected code range from the editor context menu.
- Highlight annotated code with a subtle color-coded marker.
- Open notes from the editor using the Darling note action.
- Browse all notes from the Darling Notes activity bar view.
- Search notes by text or file name inside the sidebar.
- Filter notes by highlight color.
- Jump from a note back to the exact saved code range.
- Edit or delete notes without touching the source file.
- Store notes locally in
.vscode/darling-notes.jsonso they can be committed with a project when useful.
Why Darling Notes?
Source comments are great when the information belongs to everyone who reads the code. Darling Notes is for the softer layer around the work: investigation notes, handoff context, local reminders, review observations, and short explanations that may change faster than the code itself.
It keeps those notes visible while you work, but separate from the source text.
How To Use
- Select a code range in the editor.
- Right-click and choose Add Note (Darling).
- Write your note, pick a highlight color, and save.
- Use the Darling Notes activity bar view to browse, search, filter, edit, delete, or jump back to notes.
- Use the editor note action to open the note view for a saved range.
Notes Storage
Darling Notes writes workspace notes to:
.vscode/darling-notes.json
This keeps the data transparent and portable. If a team wants shared notes, commit that file. If the notes are personal, add it to .gitignore.
Commands
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
Darling: Add Note (Darling) |
Create a note for the selected code. |
Darling: Open Darling Note |
Open the note associated with an editor marker/action. |
Darling: Edit Note |
Edit an existing note. |
Darling: Delete Note |
Delete an existing note. |
Darling: Jump to Comment |
Jump to the code range for a note. |
Development
Install dependencies:
npm install
Build the extension:
npm run compile
Run the extension in VS Code:
- Open this folder in VS Code.
- Press
F5. - Use the Run Extension launch configuration.
Create a production bundle:
npm run build
Current Scope
Darling Notes is intentionally focused: code range notes, local storage, sidebar browsing, and quick navigation. It does not send note data to any external service.
Privacy
All note content stays in your workspace files. The extension does not require a network connection for its core note features.