# my VSCode setup
URL: /blog/vscode-setup
Source: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/techwithanirudh/minimalistic-portfolio/refs/heads/main/content/blog/vscode-setup.mdx
Tags: setup, tools, learning

A custom UI-styled VS Code setup, with links to my real config.



i run a VS Code setup that is customized to feel cleaner and closer to zed.

this post is the exact setup, with links to the real config.

setup at a glance [#setup-at-a-glance]

* editor: VS Code
* coding agent: [Codex](https://openai.com/codex/)
* primary font: [JetBrainsMono Nerd Font](https://github.com/ryanoasis/nerd-fonts/releases/download/latest/JetBrainsMono.zip)
* themes: [Cursor Light and Cursor Dark](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=MohdZaid.vscode-cursor-theme)
* icon theme: [Quill Icons](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=cdonohue.quill-icons)
* UI Tweaks: [Custom UI Style](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=subframe7536.custom-ui-style) + custom stylesheet

why this setup [#why-this-setup]

i like zed's UI, but i still want VS Code's ecosystem and remote workflow.

so instead of switching editors, i customized VS Code.

the biggest difference is the custom UI layer, not the extension count.

how the custom ui started [#how-the-custom-ui-started]

while scrolling twitter, i found stumbled upon a github discussion with a lot of VS Code custom styles.

* discussion link: [apc extension thread](https://github.com/drcika/apc-extension/issues/5#issuecomment-2183959305)

the original extension in that thread was deprecated, but i kept the ideas i liked and recreated the look using Custom UI Style.

config [#config]

<GitHubCode url="https://github.com/techwithanirudh/dotfiles/blob/main/editors/vscode/settings.json" />

screenshot [#screenshot]

<div className="overflow-hidden">
  <img alt="My VS Code setup" className="h-full w-full dark:hidden rounded-lg" height={720} src="/images/uses/vscode-light.png" width={1280} />

  <img alt="My VS Code setup" className="hidden h-full w-full dark:block rounded-lg" height={720} src="/images/uses/vscode-dark.png" width={1280} />
</div>

extensions [#extensions]

this list is intentionally simple:

* [Auto Rename Tag](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=formulahendry.auto-rename-tag)
* [Better Comments](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=aaron-bond.better-comments)
* [Coder](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=coder.coder-remote)
* [Codex](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=openai.chatgpt)
* [Cursor Midnight Theme](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=MohdZaid.vscode-cursor-theme)
* [Custom UI Style](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=subframe7536.custom-ui-style)
* [ES7+ React/Redux/React-Native Snippets](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=dsznajder.es7-react-js-snippets)
* [GitHub Pull Requests](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=GitHub.vscode-pull-request-github)
* [GitLens](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=eamodio.gitlens)
* [Live Share](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=MS-vsliveshare.vsliveshare)
* [OpenCode](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=sst-dev.opencode)
* [Pretty TypeScript Errors](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=yoavbls.pretty-ts-errors)
* [Remote - SSH](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=ms-vscode-remote.remote-ssh)
* [Tailwind CSS IntelliSense](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=bradlc.vscode-tailwindcss)

thanks again for reading!


Last updated on February 25, 2026