VS Code extension to edit the filesystem like a text buffer

In plain words

This VS Code extension lets users manage files by editing a text buffer representation of their directory. Users can create, rename, move, and delete files directly in the listing, applying text-editing skills to filesystem operations. It includes glob pattern filtering, trash and undo support, and works with remote-SSH workspaces and multiple VS Code windows.

written from the facts on this page · September 2026

From the sources

Contribute to ahrm/voil development by creating an account on GitHub.

Youtube video showing voil features: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_L0c7rcYLs&t=5s . Edit file system like a text buffer (similar to oil.nvim ). Create new files/directories by typing their names in the editor (names ending with / are treated as directories). Convert your existing text-editing skills to file system manipulation skills, as opposed of the vscode's default file explorer which requires mouse interaction or memorizing new keybinds (and still is nowhere near as powerful). Demo: There is a hidden ID associated with each file which is how voil determines which file is being e.g. renamed or moved. This ID is normally hidden using vscode's decorations but you can show them by…from github.com

In the maker’s words, at launch

This is a spiritual adaptation of oil.nvim for vscode. The main idea is you edit the filesystem by editing the current directory listing's text buffer. For example, if I want to rename a file, I just rename it in the listing file. This is extremely powerful because it translates all of your text-editing skills…

• 
  A VSCode Extension to edit HTML visually in real-time2024 · github.com · ▲231

  Edit HTML files visually. Contribute to urin/vscode-web-visual-editor development by creating an account on GitHub.

• 
  Visual Studio Code 1.02016 · code.visualstudio.com · ▲309

  Microsoft's cross-platform text editor for developers

• 
  Voil – Oil.nvim for VSCode2025 · marketplace.visualstudio.com · ▲5

  I wrote a vscode extension which allows you to create/rename/move/delete files by editing a text buffer. If you are familiar with oil.nvim, this is similar. In my opinion this is vastly superior to the built-in file manager because it allows you to utilize your existing text-editing muscle memory into file manipulation skills, as opposed to the built-in file explorer which requires mouse or at least memorizing new keyboard shortcuts. There is a video demo on the github page here: https://github.com/ahrm/voil.

• 
  vscode.dev2021 · vscode.dev · ▲305

  Bringing VS Code to the browser

• 
  TextBin2024 · marketplace.visualstudio.com · ▲104

  A privacy focused open source alternative to paste bin

• 
  Crossnote – a note taking extension for VSCode2020 · github.com · ▲97

  (WIP) Turn your VSCode into a decent markdown note taking platform - 0xGG/vscode-crossnote

• 
  /dev/null▲486

  a social network for devs

  Dev tools · 3d ago · dev-null.sh

• 
  Whiteboard (YC W26) – an open-source IDE for thoughtful software design▲423

  open-source IDE for thoughtful software design. Contribute to devdotfast/whiteboard development by creating an account on GitHub.

  Dev tools · 28d ago · github.com

• 
  Reladraw – A diagram language where you decide where to place things▲411

  Contribute to reladraw/reladraw development by creating an account on GitHub.

  Dev tools · 26d ago · github.com

• 
  OpenBot▲362

  Grok Bot alternative: free, local, open-source, multiplayer

  Dev tools · 23d ago · openbot.run

• 
  Talanoa▲346

  Hi HN, I’m a fullstack developer, and honestly, I’ve lost count of how many side projects I’ve worked on over the years. But one idea kept coming back to me: a different kind of email client. It first came to me in 2014: “What if we could handle emails more like conversations?” Every year, I’d revisit this concept in my “Build Notes.” Ten years later, no one had built exactly what I had in mind — so I finally decided to do it myself. That’s how Talanoa was born. I wanted something focused on people, not timelines. I was tired of marking messages as unread just to remember to reply later, or…

  Dev tools · 21d ago · talanoa.email

• 
  CoreSpeed▲332

  One MCP for everything your agents need: apps, memory, tools

  Dev tools · 28d ago · corespeed.io

• 
  Clueso▲1,300

  Create stunning product videos in minutes with AI

  AI · 2025 · clueso.io

• 
  Trickle - Magic Canvas ▲1,064

  Hey HN! Introducing Trickle Magic Canvas: the world’s first Agentic Canvas, where you can visually co-create apps and websites with AI, from idea to production. Why is a canvas better? Most AI tools today rely on linear chats or text prompts. We believe that limits creativity and clarity. Canvas changes the game. 1. Every version & page at a glance. Each page and sub-page lives on a timeline. You can quickly browse, edit, and preview progress like a living, visual document — no more digging through chat logs or scattered states. 2. The canvas is the context. Unlike linear chats, you can…

  AI · 2025 · trickle.so

• TB
  Tinder but it's only pictures of my wife and I can only swipe right▲1,030

  Life & fun · 2025 · trytender.app

• 
  Ten years of running every day, visualized▲958

  Today marks ten years, 3653 consecutive days, of running at least one mile every day under the USRSA rules [1]. To celebrate, I built an interactive dashboard that turns a decade of GPX files into charts you can explore. Running has truly changed my life: I've made lifelong friends, explored beautiful places, and more importantly invested into my own health and fitness, which I'm starting to see the positive benefits as I get older. The stack is pretty simple: a NextJS app, with a Postgres database to keep all my running data, and all the stats are pre-computed and cached in Redis, so I…

  Dev tools · 2025 · nodaysoff.run

• 
  Draw a fish and watch it swim with the others▲935

  Made this website as an exercise in vibe-coding and GCP. It was posted about a few times around the internet, on sites like Morning Brew (https://www.morningbrew.com/issues/business-buzzkill), MetaFilter (https://www.metafilter.com/209703/Draw-A-Fish), boingboing.net, etc. I think it's cute! I built a basic CNN trained against penises and swastikas, and then anything that doesn't hit the 63% confidence score gets sent to a mod queue, a vibe-coded fish-tinder…

  AI · 2025 · drawafish.com

• 
  Use Their ID – Use your local UK MP’s ID for the Online Safety Act▲862

  Hi HN - I made a site that takes a UK postcode, grabs the local MP's information and generates an AI mockup of what their ID might look like. It's a small, silly protest at the stupidity of the Online Safety Act that just came into force. edit - My open AI credits got hugged to death, please use a known postcode (like one from Kier Starmer's constituency, WC2B6NH) in the meantime.

  AI · 2025 · use-their-id.com