vscode-pair-prog

Real-time peer-to-peer pair programming on a shared workspace.

Features

• Real-Time Collaborative Editing - Conflict-free simultaneous editing via Operational Transform, including file create/delete/rename sync
• Cursor & Selection Sync - See your partner's cursor, selections, and active line
• Follow Mode - Automatically follow your partner's cursor across files
• Jump to Partner - Instantly jump to your partner's current location
• Chat - Quick messaging with copy, reply, and open-link actions
• Collaborative Whiteboard - Shared canvas with pen, shapes, arrows, text, undo/redo, zoom/pan, and save as PNG
• Terminal Sharing - Host streams terminal output to the client as a read-only remote terminal
• Edit Access Control - Client connects read-only by default; host can grant edit access
• Session Discovery - Auto-discovers sessions on LAN, or connect via an optional relay server for remote pairing
• Passphrase Protection - Optionally protect sessions with a passphrase
• Virtual Filesystem - Client views files in-memory with no local disk writes

Quick Start

Host a Session

1. Open a workspace (e.g., a git repo)
2. Run command: PairProg: Start Hosting Session (Ctrl+Shift+P)
3. Optionally set a passphrase to protect the session
4. Copy the invite link or the displayed address (e.g., 192.168.1.5:9876)
5. Share the invite link or address with your partner

Relay mode: If pairprog.relayServer is configured, the session is registered on the relay server and the invite link works across networks.

Join a Session

There are two ways to join a session:

Via Invite Link:

1. Click the invite link shared by the host - it opens VS Code and connects automatically
2. Enter the passphrase if the session is protected
3. You're connected!

Manually:

1. Open VSCode
2. Run command: PairProg: Join Session
3. The extension scans your LAN (and the relay server, if configured) for active sessions — select a discovered session or enter the host's address manually (e.g., 192.168.1.5:9876)
4. Enter the passphrase if the session is protected
5. You're connected - edits sync in real-time. Wohooo!

Invite Links

When you start hosting, the extension generates an invite link. You can:

• Copy it from the notification shown when the session starts
• Copy it from the status bar menu at any time during the session

Configuration

Setting	Default	Description
pairprog.port	9876	WebSocket server port
pairprog.username	OS username	Your display name
pairprog.highlightColor	#ec15ef	Remote partner's cursor color
pairprog.ignoredPatterns	see below	Glob patterns to exclude from sync
pairprog.relayServer		URL of a relay server for remote connections (e.g. https://relay.example.com:3000)

Default ignored patterns:

["**/node_modules/**", "**/.git/**", "*.lock", "**/out/**", "**/dist/**", "**/Library/**", "**/vendor/**"]

Relay Server (Optional)

When direct peer-to-peer connections aren't possible (NAT, firewalls, different networks), you can run a relay server that both host and client connect to.

Running the Server

cd server
npm install
npm run build
npm start

Or with Docker:

docker build -t pairprog-relay ./server
docker run -p 3000:3000 pairprog-relay

Environment Variables

Variable	Default	Description
PORT	3000	Server port
TLS_CERT_PATH		Path to TLS certificate (enables HTTPS/WSS)
TLS_KEY_PATH		Path to TLS private key
DISCOVERY_ENABLED	true	Set to false to disable the session list endpoint

Example (Disable session discovery):

docker run -d -p 3000:3000 -e DISCOVERY_ENABLED=false pairprog-relay 

Commands

Command	Keybinding	Description
PairProg: Start Hosting Session		Start a WebSocket server and accept connections
PairProg: Stop Hosting Session		Stop hosting and disconnect
PairProg: Join Session		Connect to a host (via invite link, LAN discovery, or address)
PairProg: Leave Session		Disconnect from host
PairProg: Toggle Follow Mode		Follow your partner's cursor across files
PairProg: Jump to Partner	Ctrl+Shift+J / Cmd+Shift+J	Jump to your partner's current cursor location
PairProg: Open Whiteboard	Ctrl+Shift+W / Cmd+Shift+W	Open a collaborative whiteboard for sketching
PairProg: Send Message	Ctrl+Shift+M / Cmd+Shift+M	Send a chat message
PairProg: Share Terminal		Stream your terminal output to the client (host only)
PairProg: Stop Sharing Terminal		Stop streaming terminal output (host only)
PairProg: Grant Edit Access		Grant the client permission to edit files (host only)
PairProg: About		Show the about panel

Click the status bar item for a quick-pick menu with these options.

Development

Setup

cd vscode-pair-prog
npm install
npm run compile

Debug / Run

1. Open this folder in VS Code
2. Press F5 to launch the Extension Dev Host
3. In the new VS Code window, open a workspace folder

Packaging

npm install -g @vscode/vsce
vsce package

This produces a .vsix file you can install in VS Code via: Extensions -> ⋯ -> Install from VSIX...