Use when adding, modifying, or reviewing VS Code configuration policies. Covers the full policy lifecycle from registration to export to platform-specific artifacts. Run on ANY change that adds a `policy:` field to a configuration property.
Policies allow enterprise administrators to lock configuration settings via OS-level mechanisms (Windows Group Policy, macOS managed preferences, Linux config files) or via Copilot account-level policy data. This skill covers the complete procedure.
policy: field to any configuration propertyIPolicyData| Source | Implementation | How it reads policies |
|---|---|---|
| OS-level (Windows registry, macOS plist) | via |
NativePolicyService@vscode/policy-watcherWatches Software\Policies\Microsoft\{productName} (Windows) or bundle identifier prefs (macOS) |
| Linux file | FilePolicyService | Reads /etc/vscode/policy.json |
| Account/GitHub | AccountPolicyService | Reads IPolicyData from IDefaultAccountService.policyData, applies value() function |
| Multiplex | MultiplexPolicyService | Combines OS-level + account policy services; used in desktop main |
| File | Purpose |
|---|---|
src/vs/base/common/policy.ts | PolicyCategory enum, IPolicy interface |
src/vs/platform/policy/common/policy.ts | IPolicyService, AbstractPolicyService, PolicyDefinition |
src/vs/platform/configuration/common/configurations.ts | PolicyConfiguration — bridges policies to configuration values |
src/vs/workbench/services/policies/common/accountPolicyService.ts | Account/GitHub-based policy evaluation |
src/vs/workbench/services/policies/common/multiplexPolicyService.ts | Combines multiple policy services |
src/vs/workbench/contrib/policyExport/electron-browser/policyExport.contribution.ts | --export-policy-data CLI handler |
src/vs/base/common/defaultAccount.ts | IPolicyData interface for account-level policy fields |
build/lib/policies/policyData.jsonc | Auto-generated policy catalog (DO NOT edit manually) |
build/lib/policies/policyGenerator.ts | Generates ADMX/ADML (Windows), plist (macOS), JSON (Linux) |
build/lib/test/policyConversion.test.ts | Tests for policy artifact generation |
policy field to the configuration propertyFind the configuration registration (typically in a *.contribution.ts file) and add a policy object to the property schema.
Required fields:
Determining minimumVersion: Always read version from the root package.json and use the major.minor portion. For example, if package.json has "version": "1.112.0", use minimumVersion: '1.112'. Never hardcode an old version like '1.99'.