Aether doesn't sync with Visual Studio Code.

[uzair223]

Hi,
After generating theme on Aether, I see that local.theme-aether-1.0.0 is generated in ~/.vscode/extensions (which I have confirmed to be the extensions directory) yet the theme doesn't appear at all on the VSCode theme picker, nor does the local extension appear in the installed Extensions tab.

~ ❯ cat ~/.vscode/extensions/local.theme-aether-1.0.0/package.json
{
    "name": "theme-aether",
    "displayName": "Aether Theme",
    "description": "Aether color theme generated from wallpaper",
    "publisher": "local",
    "version": "1.0.0",
    "engines": {
        "vscode": "^1.70.0"
    },
    "categories": ["Themes"],
    "contributes": {
        "themes": [
            {
                "label": "Aether",
                "uiTheme": "vs-dark",
                "path": "./themes/aether-color-theme.json"
            }
        ]
    }
}

~ ❯ code --list-extensions | grep aether

~ ✗

[osbgx]

From what I understand (and based on how I got it working locally), VS Code doesn’t load unpacked extensions automatically anymore. Aether generates the theme folder under ~/.vscode/extensions, but since no .vsix is produced, VS Code simply ignores it — which is why the theme doesn’t show up in the picker or in the Extensions tab.

What worked for me

I manually packaged the generated extension using vsce:

npm install -g @vscode/vsce
cd ~/.vscode/extensions/local.theme-aether-1.0.0
vsce package

This creates a .vsix file, which VS Code does recognize:

code --install-extension theme-aether-1.0.0.vsix

After installing the .vsix, the theme appears normally.

Alternative

You can also load the folder manually using:

Developer: Install Extension from Location

But generating the .vsix is the most reliable method.

Note

This is just based on my own testing — I might be missing something.
If possible, I’m considering making a PR to automate the packaging step unless @bjarneo clarifies a different intended workflow.