Aspire Visual Studio Code extension

The official Aspire extension for VS Code. Run, debug, and deploy your Aspire apps without leaving the editor, with debugging support for C#, Python, Node.js, and more.

Features at a glance

Feature	Description
Run & debug	Start your whole app and attach debuggers to every service with F5 F5 F5
Dashboard	View resources, endpoints, logs, traces, and metrics while your app runs
Sidebar	Browse running apphosts and resources in the Activity Bar
Integrations	Add databases, queues, and cloud services from the Command Palette
Scaffolding	Create new Aspire projects from templates
Deploy	Generate deployment artifacts or push to cloud targets
MCP	Let AI tools like GitHub Copilot see your running app via the Model Context Protocol
Multi-language	Debug C#, Python, Node.js, Azure Functions, and browser apps together

Prerequisites

Aspire CLI — Install via the Aspire: Install Aspire CLI (stable) command in VS Code, or follow the installation guide.
.NET 10 or later — Download .NET.
VS Code 1.98 or later.

Install the extension

Open VS Code.
Open the Extensions view ( Command + Shift + X Control + Shift + X Control + Shift + X ).
Search for Aspire and install the extension published by Microsoft.

VS Code Extensions marketplace showing the Aspire extension.

Or install directly from the VS Code Marketplace.

Getting started

Open your Aspire project in VS Code, or create one with Aspire: New Aspire project from the Command Palette. Run Aspire: Configure launch.json file to set up the debug configuration, then press F5 F5 F5 . The extension builds your apphost, starts your services, attaches debuggers, and opens the dashboard.

VS Code showing the Aspire new project command with template options.

There’s also a built-in walkthrough at Help > Get Started > Get started with Aspire that covers the basics step by step.

Running and debugging

Launch configuration

Add an entry to .vscode/launch.json pointing at your apphost project:

{
  "type": "aspire",
  "request": "launch",
  "name": "Aspire: Launch MyAppHost",
  "program": "${workspaceFolder}/MyAppHost/MyAppHost.csproj"
}

Or run Aspire: Configure launch.json file from the Command Palette to generate one automatically.

When you press F5 F5 F5 , the extension builds the apphost, starts all resources (services, containers, databases) in the right order, attaches debuggers based on each service’s language, and opens the dashboard.

You can also right-click an AppHost file in the Explorer and select Run Aspire apphost or Debug Aspire apphost.

Deploy, publish, and pipeline steps

The command property in the launch config supports more than just running:

deploy — Push to your defined deployment targets.
publish — Generate deployment artifacts (manifests, Bicep files, etc.).
do — Run a specific pipeline step. Set step to the step name.

{
  "type": "aspire",
  "request": "launch",
  "name": "Aspire: Deploy MyAppHost",
  "program": "${workspaceFolder}/MyAppHost/MyAppHost.csproj",
  "command": "deploy"
}

For more information, see Aspire publishing and deployment overview.

Customizing debugger settings per language

The debuggers property lets you pass debug configuration specific to a language. Use project for C#/.NET services, python for Python, and apphost for the apphost itself:

{
  "type": "aspire",
  "request": "launch",
  "name": "Aspire: Launch MyAppHost",
  "program": "${workspaceFolder}/MyAppHost/MyAppHost.csproj",
  "debuggers": {
    "project": {
      "console": "integratedTerminal",
      "logging": { "moduleLoad": false }
    },
    "apphost": {
      "stopAtEntry": true
    }
  }
}

The extension adds an Aspire panel to the Activity Bar with a live tree of your resources. In Workspace mode you see resources from the apphost in your current workspace, updating in real time. Switch to Global mode with the toggle in the panel header to see every running apphost on your machine.

Right-click a resource to start, stop, or restart it, view its logs, run resource-specific commands, or open the dashboard.

Commands

All commands are available from the Command Palette ( Command + Shift + P Control + Shift + P Control + Shift + P ) under Aspire.

Command	Description
New Aspire project	Create a new apphost or starter app from a template
Initialize Aspire in an existing codebase	Add Aspire to an existing project
Add an integration	Add a hosting integration (`Aspire.Hosting.*`)
Update integrations	Update hosting integrations and the Aspire SDK
Publish deployment artifacts	Generate deployment manifests
Deploy app	Deploy to your defined targets
Execute pipeline step	Run a pipeline step and its dependencies (`aspire do`)
Configure launch.json file	Add the Aspire debug config to your workspace
Extension settings	Open Aspire extension settings
Open local Aspire settings	Open `.aspire/settings.json` for this workspace
Open global Aspire settings	Open `~/.aspire/globalsettings.json`
Open Aspire terminal	Open a terminal with the Aspire CLI ready
Install Aspire CLI (stable)	Install the latest stable CLI
Install Aspire CLI (daily)	Install the daily preview build
Update Aspire CLI	Update the CLI
Verify Aspire CLI installation	Check that the CLI works

Language and debugger support

The extension detects each resource’s language and attaches the right debugger. Some languages need a companion extension:

Language	Debugger	Extension needed
C# / .NET	coreclr	C# Dev Kit or C#
Python	debugpy	Python
Node.js	js-debug (built-in)	None
Browser apps	js-debug (built-in)	None
Azure Functions	Varies by language	Azure Functions + language extension

Node.js and browser debugging work out of the box — VS Code includes a built-in JavaScript debugger. C# Dev Kit gives you richer build integration than the standalone C# extension, but either works for debugging. Azure Functions debugging supports C#, JavaScript/TypeScript, and Python.

Extension settings

Configure the extension under Settings > Aspire, or jump there with Aspire: Extension settings.

Setting	Default	Description
`aspire.aspireCliExecutablePath`	`""`	Path to the Aspire CLI. Leave empty to use `aspire` from PATH.
`aspire.dashboardBrowser`	`openExternalBrowser`	Which browser opens the dashboard — system default, or Chrome/Edge/Firefox as a debug session.
`aspire.enableAspireDashboardAutoLaunch`	`true`	Open the dashboard automatically when you start debugging.
`aspire.registerMcpServerInWorkspace`	`false`	Register the Aspire MCP server (see MCP Server Integration).

There are more settings for verbose logging, startup prompts, and polling intervals — run Aspire: Extension settings to see them all.

The extension also provides IntelliSense and validation when editing .aspire/settings.json (workspace-level) and ~/.aspire/globalsettings.json (user-level). Use the Open local/global Aspire settings commands to open them.

MCP server integration

The extension can register an Aspire MCP server with VS Code. This lets AI tools — GitHub Copilot included — see your running app’s resources, endpoints, and configuration for better context when helping you write code.

Turn it on by setting aspire.registerMcpServerInWorkspace to true. When enabled, the extension registers the MCP server definition via the Aspire CLI whenever a workspace is open and the CLI is available.

For more information, see Use AI coding agents.

Feedback and issues

Found a bug or have an idea? File it on the dotnet/aspire repo: