dotnet-start

What it does

This extension provides a small set of commands to save (per workspace) which .csproj and launch profile you want to run, and then starts debugging by generating a coreclr configuration.

It’s especially useful in solutions with many projects where you frequently switch which project/profile you’re debugging.

Use this extension when you want a “start project” + “launch profile” workflow for .NET in VS Code (similar to what the .NET Dev Kit experience enables), without requiring Dev Kit.

It lets you quickly:

• Pick which .csproj is the start project in the current workspace
• Pick which launchSettings.json profile should be used

Then you can press Alt+F5 to start debugging the selected project using the selected profile.

If you prefer the standard VS Code flow, you can also press F5 and choose dotnet-start from VS Code’s native debug picker. Note: when you don’t already have a workspace launch.json, VS Code may first prompt you to select/create a debug configuration (e.g., a .NET/C# “build type”) before you can pick dotnet-start.

Usage

In your workspace:

1. Use the dedicated dotnet-start shortcut to run dotnet-start: Start Debugging

   • Press Alt+F5 to start debugging the selected project/profile.
   • Choose a .csproj in your workspace as the start project. This picker appears automatically if no project is selected yet.
   • Choose a launchSettings.json launch profile (Visual Studio-style profiles). This picker appears automatically if no profile is selected yet.

2. Or press F5 and select dotnet-start from VS Code’s debug configuration picker

   • This is useful if you want to use VS Code’s normal debug flow, especially when there is no .vscode/launch.json yet.
   • It will offer dotnet-start option as .NET coreclr debugger option.

3. Add an entry to your workspace’s launch.json

   • Run dotnet-start: Add dotnet-start to launch.json to add a debug configuration that you can then select when starting debugging with F5.

{
    "version": "0.2.0",
    "configurations": [
        {
            "type": "coreclr",
            "request": "launch",
            "name": "dotnet-start",
            "program": "dotnet"
        }
    ]
}

Notes:

• Launch profiles are read from Properties/launchSettings.json next to the selected .csproj.
• Debugging launches the built output (dotnet <path-to-binary>) and applies launchSettings.json env/args from the selected profile. This avoids common breakpoint issues with dotnet run.
• VS Code’s F5 behavior depends on which debug configuration is currently selected. After you pick dotnet-start once, it should remain selected in that window; if VS Code asks you to pick a configuration again, just pick dotnet-start.
• The extension delegates to your installed .NET debugger (coreclr) via vscode.debug.startDebugging(...).

FAQ

Can it show up as its own top-level debug category (like “C#”)?

VS Code's top-level debug "categories" in the picker are driven by installed debugger types (debug adapters) contributed by extensions. This extension does not ship a debugger; it starts debugging by generating a coreclr configuration and calling vscode.debug.startDebugging(...).

As a result, dotnet-start appears under the existing .NET / coreclr grouping provided by your installed .NET tooling.

Links

GitHub source: https://github.com/pavel-purma/vscode-dotnet-start