Feature Request: Explore alignment with cross-IDE WebAssembly Extension Standard

[Amiya167]

Summary

I'd like to propose exploring potential alignment between VS Code's WASM extension work and the emerging WebAssembly IDE Extension Standard - an open, IDE-agnostic specification for building sandboxed IDE extensions using WebAssembly.

Motivation

The WebAssembly IDE Extension Standard aims to enable write-once, run-anywhere IDE extensions through:

• Portability: Extensions work across any IDE implementing the standard
• Security: Capability-based permissions with fine-grained access control
• WASI Alignment: Built on WASI 0.2+ and the Component Model
• WIT Interfaces: Standardized interface definitions for IDE capabilities

VS Code's WASM work is excellent for running WASM within VS Code, but exploring cross-IDE portability could benefit the broader developer ecosystem.

Comparison

Aspect	vscode-wasm	IDE Extension Standard
Scope	VS Code only	IDE-agnostic
Model	WASM within JS extension	Pure WASM extension
Permissions	Extension-level	Fine-grained capability-based
Interfaces	VS Code APIs	WIT-defined contracts

Potential Benefits

1. Ecosystem Growth: Extensions could run on VS Code, JetBrains IDEs, Zed, etc.
2. Security Model: Fine-grained permissions (e.g., workspace:read, network:fetch:*.example.com)
3. Standardization: Common WIT interfaces for editor, workspace, UI, and language features
4. Interoperability: Shared tooling and extension formats

Proposed Actions

• Review the specification
• Evaluate WIT interface definitions in the wit/ directory
• Consider if VS Code could optionally support extensions built to this standard
• Discuss potential collaboration on interface standardization

References

• WebAssembly IDE Extension Standard
• Specification Overview
• WIT Interface Definitions
• Example Extension

I'd love to hear the team's thoughts on this direction. Happy to discuss further or contribute if there's interest in exploring this.