Support for Permission System in VS Code Extensions

[danny007in]

Description:
Currently, the Visual Studio Code (VS Code) extension ecosystem lacks a robust permission system similar to the one found in Android applications. This feature is crucial for maintaining user privacy and ensuring secure access to sensitive resources by extensions.

Android provides a comprehensive permission system (https://developer.android.com/guide/topics/permissions/overview) that enables users to grant or deny permissions to applications based on their needs. Implementing a similar permission system for VS Code extensions would greatly enhance the overall security and user control within the platform.

Proposal:

1. Define a permission model: Create a standardized set of permissions that cover various extension capabilities and resources. This model should consider both basic permissions (e.g., read/write access to files, network access) and potentially more advanced permissions (e.g., access to user settings, workspace information).

2. Permission declaration: Provide a mechanism for extension developers to declare the permissions required by their extensions in the extension manifest file. This declaration should clearly state the purpose and scope of each permission.

3. User consent and control: Introduce a user interface within VS Code that allows users to review and manage the permissions requested by each installed extension. Users should have the ability to grant or revoke permissions at any time.

4. Permission enforcement: Ensure that extensions can only access resources and perform actions for which they have been granted permission. Implement mechanisms to prevent extensions from accessing unauthorized resources or performing potentially harmful operations.

Benefits:

• Enhanced user privacy: Users will have more control over the permissions granted to extensions, ensuring their privacy is protected.
• Improved security: A permission system will help prevent malicious extensions from accessing sensitive resources or performing unauthorized actions.
• Transparency and trust: Clear permission declarations will enable users to make informed decisions when installing or updating extensions, fostering a more trustworthy extension ecosystem.

This issue aims to start a discussion and gather feedback on the implementation of a permission system for VS Code extensions. It is crucial to ensure the widespread adoption of this feature by extension developers, maintainers, and the VS Code community as a whole.

[vscodenpa]

Thanks for creating this issue! We figured it's missing some basic information or in some other way doesn't follow our issue reporting guidelines. Please take the time to review these and update the issue.

Happy Coding!

[danny007in]

Description: Currently, the Visual Studio Code (VS Code) extension ecosystem lacks a robust permission system similar to the one found in Android applications. This feature is crucial for maintaining user privacy and ensuring secure access to sensitive resources by extensions.

Android provides a comprehensive permission system (https://developer.android.com/guide/topics/permissions/overview) that enables users to grant or deny permissions to applications based on their needs. Implementing a similar permission system for VS Code extensions would greatly enhance the overall security and user control within the platform.

Proposal:

1. Define a permission model: Create a standardized set of permissions that cover various extension capabilities and resources. This model should consider both basic permissions (e.g., read/write access to files, network access) and potentially more advanced permissions (e.g., access to user settings, workspace information).
2. Permission declaration: Provide a mechanism for extension developers to declare the permissions required by their extensions in the extension manifest file. This declaration should clearly state the purpose and scope of each permission.
3. User consent and control: Introduce a user interface within VS Code that allows users to review and manage the permissions requested by each installed extension. Users should have the ability to grant or revoke permissions at any time.
4. Permission enforcement: Ensure that extensions can only access resources and perform actions for which they have been granted permission. Implement mechanisms to prevent extensions from accessing unauthorized resources or performing potentially harmful operations.

Benefits:

• Enhanced user privacy: Users will have more control over the permissions granted to extensions, ensuring their privacy is protected.
• Improved security: A permission system will help prevent malicious extensions from accessing sensitive resources or performing unauthorized actions.
• Transparency and trust: Clear permission declarations will enable users to make informed decisions when installing or updating extensions, fostering a more trustworthy extension ecosystem.

This issue aims to start a discussion and gather feedback on the implementation of a permission system for VS Code extensions. It is crucial to ensure the widespread adoption of this feature by extension developers, maintainers, and the VS Code community as a whole.

information provided @sandy081

[isidorn]

Thanks for opening this request, however closing this as a duplicate of #52116 since I feel like most of this is already covered by that issue. Thank you