The Fork in the Road: Why VS Code Extensions Beat Forks for AI-Powered Development
Discover why VS Code native extensions provide a more reliable foundation for AI coding compared to forks, with documented evidence of extension compatibility issues and marketplace access problems
In today's competitive software development landscape, AI coding assistants have become essential productivity tools. However, not all AI coding tools are built the same way. Some operate as native VS Code extensions, while others take a more radical approach by "forking" the entire VS Code codebase.
At CuriousBox AI, we've built ProdE as a native VS Code extension rather than a fork—a deliberate architectural choice that helps teams avoid significant risks while still delivering powerful AI assistance.
Extensions vs. Forks: Two Different Architectural Approaches
Before diving into the challenges, let's clarify what we mean by these terms:
Native VS Code Extension: A plugin that enhances VS Code while running within the official editor
VS Code Fork: A separate application built by copying and modifying VS Code's source code
While both can add AI features to your development workflow, they create fundamentally different user experiences and risk profiles.
Documented Extension Marketplace Access Issues
One of the most significant challenges for VS Code forks involves marketplace access. Microsoft's terms of service restrict access to the official VS Code Marketplace for non-Microsoft products.
Real-World Evidence of Extension Access Problems
In April 2025, users of a popular VS Code fork reported being unable to install or use Microsoft's C/C++ extension. A GitHub issue documented the error message displayed to users:
"The C/C++ extension may be used only with Microsoft Visual Studio, Visual Studio for Mac, Visual Studio Code, Azure DevOps, Team Foundation Server, and successor Microsoft products and services." [4]
This wasn't an isolated incident. Another user in the same discussion thread confirmed they also encountered access restrictions with other Microsoft-published extensions.
As documented by Eclipse developers, "While all of the projects listed above support VS Code extensions, only Microsoft products can use and connect to Microsoft's Extension Marketplace. The terms of use for the Marketplace prevent any non-Visual Studio products from accessing it." [12]
Security and Stability Concerns
The VS Code ecosystem isn't immune to security challenges. In February 2025, a widely-used theme extension called Material Theme (with nearly 4 million installations) was temporarily removed from the marketplace due to security concerns [1] [5] .
While Microsoft was able to quickly respond and later restore the extension after determining it was a false positive [5] , this highlights an important point: the official VS Code security team actively monitors and protects the ecosystem. Fork-based editors may not benefit from the same level of security oversight.
Additionally, researchers found nearly 1,300 VS Code extensions with potentially malicious dependencies, totaling 229 million installations [11] . This underscores the importance of a secure extension management system with proper oversight.
The Maintenance Challenge for Forks
Maintaining a VS Code fork creates significant engineering overhead, as documented by EclipseSource's analysis:
"Forking VS Code often starts as a small change... However, over time, the gained freedom is typically used and changes to the fork accumulate. As a consequence, maintaining compatibility with the rapidly evolving VS Code codebase becomes increasingly challenging." [6]
The VS Code repository sees thousands of commits annually. Forks must either constantly catch up with these changes or drift further from the original codebase, potentially missing security updates and new features.
Business Impact: Beyond Technical Concerns
These technical challenges translate into business risks for teams adopting fork-based tools:
Development Disruption
When extensions suddenly become unavailable or incompatible, it directly impacts development workflows. As reported by developers in public forums, this can lead to:
Time lost searching for alternative extensions
Workflow disruption when critical tools become unavailable
Reduced productivity during transition periods
Limited Extension Ecosystem
Fork-based editors typically rely on alternative marketplaces like Open VSX, which has significantly fewer extensions than the official marketplace. According to documentation from forum discussions, this alternative marketplace hosts approximately 4,000 extensions compared to tens of thousands in the official marketplace [12] .
The Native Extension Advantage: Why ProdE Chose This Path
CuriousBox AI's ProdE is built as a native VS Code extension rather than a fork for several important reasons:
Guaranteed marketplace access: As a native extension, ProdE users maintain access to the complete VS Code extension ecosystem
Automatic compatibility: Works seamlessly with your existing extensions and workflows
Security benefits: Operates within VS Code's security model rather than creating a new attack surface
Future-proof: Automatically benefits from VS Code platform improvements
This architectural choice allows us to focus on what truly matters: building exceptional AI-powered coding capabilities rather than maintaining a fork.
Making an Informed Decision for Your Team
When evaluating AI coding assistants, consider these key questions:
Will the tool maintain access to all the extensions your team needs?
How will extension compatibility be maintained as VS Code evolves?
What security measures protect your code and development environment?
How much maintenance overhead does the architectural approach create?
Conclusion: Choose Stability Without Sacrificing Innovation
The most effective AI coding assistants enhance your existing workflow rather than requiring you to adopt an entirely new environment with uncertain future compatibility.
By choosing ProdE as your AI coding assistant, you get the best of both worlds: cutting-edge AI capabilities within the stable, secure VS Code environment you already trust—with guaranteed access to the complete extension ecosystem.
This post aims to provide educational information about different architectural approaches to AI coding assistants based on publicly documented issues. All product names, logos, and brands mentioned are property of their respective owners.