Consolidating VSCode Extensions Under toon-format Organization

[johannschopplich]

Hi @VishalRaut2106 and @eveiljuice! 👋

First, I want to say thank you for taking the time to build VSCode support for TOON. They both bring value to the ecosystem.

The Challenge

While having options can be good, having multiple extensions for the same format this early creates problems for everyone:

• Users don't know which extension to install when they search for "TOON" in the marketplace
• Feature development is fragmented – improvements in one extension don't benefit the other
• Maintenance burden is duplicated – spec updates and bug fixes need to be implemented twice
• Ecosystem credibility suffers – established formats have one clear, official extension
• Discoverability is hurt – competing extensions split reviews, downloads, and visibility

The Proposal

I'd like to invite both of you to collaborate on a single, official VSCode extension under the TOON organization. Here's what I'm thinking:

Approach

1. No favorites: I haven't picked a "winner" because you're both the VSCode extension experts here. I want us to evaluate together.

2. Collaborative evaluation: Let's review both extensions:

   • What features does each one have?
   • Which UX patterns work best?
   • What syntax highlighting rules are most accurate?
   • How do formatting/linting implementations compare?
   • Can we combine the best ideas from each?

3. Shared ownership:

   • Both of you would be co-maintainers
   • Equal commit access and decision-making
   • Published under toon-format namespace in the marketplace
   • Credit for all contributors in the extension metadata

4. Clear criteria for what "official" means:

   • ✅ Accurate syntax highlighting for all TOON constructs
   • ✅ Formatting support aligned with SPEC.md
   • ✅ Code completion and IntelliSense
   • ✅ Validation and error reporting
   • ✅ Snippet support for common patterns
   • ✅ Clear documentation and examples
   • ✅ Active maintenance and spec update compatibility

What This Could Look Like

Option A: Pick the strongest foundation

• Evaluate both extensions together
• Choose one as the base (by consensus, based on architecture/features)
• Merge best features from the other
• Both become co-maintainers of the unified extension

Option B: Start fresh together

• Start a new extension from scratch
• Design the architecture together
• Everyone contributes based on expertise
• Incorporate lessons learned from both existing extensions

Option C: Something else you propose

• You two know VSCode extension development better than I do
• Open to other approaches that make sense

Why This Matters

For VSCode extensions specifically, consolidation is even more critical than for libraries:

• Users typically only install one extension per language/format – having two creates confusion
• Marketplace visibility – a single extension with all downloads/reviews builds trust
• Feature completeness – pooling efforts means we can deliver a more polished experience faster
• Clear recommendation – we can confidently point users to the official TOON extension

Next Steps

I'm not dictating a solution – I want to hear from both of you:

1. Are you interested in collaborating? (No pressure if you prefer to keep your extensions independent)
2. What approach sounds best? (Option A, B, C, or something else?)
3. What would you need from me to make this work? (Marketplace publishing access, CI infrastructure, etc.)
4. What timeline works for you?

If you're interested, maybe we could start with a call or async discussion to:

• Review each other's code/architecture
• Identify the best path forward together

About the toon-format Organization

I'm in the process of consolidating all official TOON implementations under a dedicated organization (following the pattern of established formats like JSON). This includes:

• The language-agnostic spec repository
• Official language implementations (Python, Rust, Go, etc.)
• Official tooling like this VSCode extension

Being part of the organization means:

• Your work becomes the official, recommended extension
• Access to shared CI/CD infrastructure
• Coordinated releases with spec updates
• Higher visibility in the ecosystem

Timeline

If you're both on board:

• When you're ready: I'll create toon-format/vscode-toon and invite you as maintainers
• Async collaboration: We can coordinate via issues/PRs to evaluate both extensions
• Technical evaluation: Review features, architecture, and decide on the path forward together
• Migration: Move or merge code based on our consensus approach

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Again, thank you for your work on these extensions. Whatever we decide, I'm grateful for your contributions to making TOON accessible in VSCode. 🙏

What do you think?

[VishalRaut2106]

Hi 👋 thanks for the detailed proposal — I’m ready to collaborate.

Before proceeding, I just have one question:
Which approach would you prefer — using one existing extension as the base or starting fresh?

Personally, I think using an existing base might help avoid delays, and we can simply add or remove features as needed — but I’m open to your direction.

Also, I’d like to hear what @eveiljuice thinks as well.

Thanks!

[johannschopplich]

Personally, I think using an existing base might help avoid delays, and we can simply add or remove features as needed — but I’m open to your direction.

I agree. Using one of your already existing repos makes more sense than starting from scratch. Best practices or features from the other project can then be brought over to the "chosen one".

[eveiljuice]

Hi @VishalRaut2106 and @johannschopplich , thanks a lot for reaching out and for the thoughtful proposal — I’m definitely interested in collaborating on a single, official VS Code extension under the toon-format organization. My preference is something close to Option A (evaluate both extensions together, pick the strongest foundation by consensus, and merge in the best ideas from the other), but I’m also open to Option B if we decide a fresh start makes more sense. I’m happy to deprecate my standalone extension once the official one is ready and point users to it in the Marketplace. Next steps that would help: create the toon-format/vscode-toon repo, add us as maintainers, and we can start with async evaluation (issues/PRs, feature comparison, architecture review) and schedule a short call later if needed.

[VishalRaut2106]

• Snippet support for common TOON patterns

+ Contextual inline documentation & hover help for TOON elements

Clear documentation + examples available here:
🔗 https://github.com/VishalRaut2106/vscode-toon?tab=readme-ov-file#-snippets-documentation

So at this point, all requested features are complete and ready for review.

Whenever you have time, feel free to check it out and share feedback — no rush.

Good night — talk tomorrow 👋😄

[johannschopplich]

Thanks for agreeing to work together on the project! I have set up the repo: https://github.com/toon-format/vscode

See the welcome message for more information: toon-format/vscode#1