Hello,
Welcome to VSDactyl.

Open the Extensions Marketplace

Use Ctrl + Shift + X on Windows/Linux or Cmd + Shift + X on macOS.

Create an API key

1. Open your panel dashboard.
2. Go to Account.
3. Open API Credentials.
4. Create a new key and copy it.

Add it in VS Code

• Display Name: Friendly label for your account.
• Panel URL: Your panel address.
• API Key: Paste the key you created.

One-click setup

In the add-account form, choose SSH Key and enable Auto-configure SSH Key.

VSDactyl will:

• Generate a secure key pair locally.
• Upload the public key to your panel account.
• Store the private key path for immediate use.

Recursive Sidebar File Explorer

You no longer need to mount a workspace folder to browse or modify remote files. You can now expand a server node directly inside the Servers tree view sidebar in VS Code to browse its files and subfolders. Click any file to open it directly in the editor, and right-click to download, delete, compress, or decompress items instantly.

Connect and edit (Native Explorer)

Right-click a server and choose Connect (SFTP). You can then mount the server as a workspace, edit files, save directly to the server, drag and drop uploads, and manage folders from the native VS Code File Explorer.

Deployment Syncing

Instead of manually uploading files, you can bind a local folder directly to a remote server. Right-click any Pterodactyl server and choose VSDactyl: Map Local Folder (Auto-Sync). Select your local workspace folder, and then specify the target remote path on the server (e.g. /plugins or /config).

VSDactyl will drop a .vsdactyl-sync.json configuration file there and immediately start watching the folder. Any changes you make (saves, deletes, new plugins) will instantly be tunneled to the server in the background!

Best Practices & Pitfalls

• Target specific directories: Map local build folders directly to subdirectories like /plugins instead of the server root / to avoid unintended overrides.
• Edit Configs Live: You can edit the generated .vsdactyl-sync.json at any time to update the target remotePath or modify the ignorePatterns (by default, node_modules and .git are ignored).
• Auto-Sync vs. Connect: Auto-Sync acts as a one-way pipeline to upload your local compilations to the server automatically. If you want to live-edit server files or browse the remote filesystem dynamically, use the Connect (SFTP) button instead!

Lightning Fast Uploads

Drag and drop a massive folder directly onto a server node. VSDactyl automatically intercepts the drop, compresses the files into a single archive, uploads the bundle over SFTP, and instantly extracts it on the remote server.

Server-Side Archive Management

You can package folders or extract archives directly on the server host without transferring bytes over the network. Right-click folders in the Server Tree sidebar and select Compress to Archive (Server-side) to zip/tar them up, or right-click any zip/tar archive and select Decompress Archive (Server-side) to extract them instantly via the Wings API.

Live Terminal & Telemetry

Monitor your server's live CPU, RAM, and Disk metrics directly in the tree view. Right-click any server to Open Terminal for real-time console streaming within VS Code.

Embedded Web Panel

Choose Open Panel in Web View to seamlessly load the full Pterodactyl interface in a dedicated VS Code tab, enabling full server management without launching an external browser!

Authentication or key issues

Regenerate your SSH key via auto-setup and verify your account details in VSDactyl settings.

Need help?

Open an issue in the project repository for direct support.