Configure Workspace.prompt

---
description: "Apply baseline VS Code workspace-scope settings and refresh Edition-owned .vscode/ assets for the current heir"
lastReviewed: 2026-06-30
---

# Configure VS Code Workspace

Use this when:

- A heir's `.vscode/` is missing files (e.g. `markdown-light.css` not present after cloning a heir repo where `.vscode/` was git-ignored or partially deleted)
- The workspace settings discovery keys (`chat.agentSkillsLocations`, `chat.permissions.default`) are absent from `.vscode/settings.json`
- You want to refresh workspace assets without running the full `ACT: Upgrade Brain` cycle

For VS Code USER-scope settings (per-machine), use `/configure-vscode`.
For verification only, use `/configure-workspace-verify`.

## Objective

Bring the workspace `.vscode/` into compliance with the heir-workspace baseline. Workspace settings intentionally override user-scope settings for this project:

1. Refresh EDITION_OWNED assets listed in `vscode_assets` (e.g. `markdown-light.css`) — overwrite always.
2. Seed HEIR_OWNED bootstrap templates with `.vscode/` prefix if missing (`extensions.json`, `settings.json`).
3. Per-key merge `heir-workspace-settings-baseline.json` into `.vscode/settings.json` (deep-merge for objects, scalar-replace for scalars, respect `mergeMode`).

## Source of truth

- Baseline: `.github/config/heir-workspace-settings-baseline.json` (workspace-scope settings + `mergeMode`)
- Manifest: `.github/config/edition-manifest.json` (lists `vscode_assets` + `bootstrap_templates`)
- Marker: `.github/.act-heir.json` (carries `edition_version` for source fetch)
- Source files: GitHub raw at the pinned `v<edition_version>` tag (post-ADR-009 static-fetch pattern)

## Apply Steps

1. Verify `.github/.act-heir.json` exists. If absent, refuse — this prompt only operates on heirs.
2. Read `edition_version` from the marker.
3. Read `vscode_assets` and `bootstrap_templates` from `.github/config/edition-manifest.json`.
4. For each entry in `vscode_assets`: fetch from `https://raw.githubusercontent.com/fabioc-aloha/Alex_ACT_Edition/v<edition_version>/.vscode/<asset>` and write to `.vscode/<asset>` (overwrite).
5. For each entry in `bootstrap_templates` that begins with `.vscode/`: fetch from the same source and write only if the destination is absent.
6. Load `heir-workspace-settings-baseline.json` and per-key merge into `.vscode/settings.json` (respect `mergeMode`).
7. Report what was refreshed / seeded / merged.

## Reference Commands

Three shells, one workflow. Pick the one for your OS.

### macOS / Linux (bash, zsh)