Project Manager 13.1: Better Tags, Auto-Detected Projects, Fully Open Source

If you juggle multiple projects in VS Code, you've probably felt the pain of losing track of folders, switching contexts, or remembering which repo you were working on last week. Project Manager has been a go-to extension for years to solve exactly that. Version 13.1 just landed, and it brings some genuinely useful improvements.

This update focuses on three things: smarter tag management, automatic project detection that works out of the box, and — for the first time — the entire extension is now open source. That last point is a big deal for anyone who likes to peek under the hood or contribute.

What It Does

Project Manager gives you a side panel in VS Code where you can save, organize, and quickly switch between projects. Instead of digging through your file system or relying on recent folders, you get a dedicated view with tags, favorites, and search. You can save any folder as a project, give it a name, and tag it for easy filtering.

Version 13.1 improves how tags work. You can now assign multiple tags per project, filter by tag directly from the panel, and the tag input field feels much more responsive. The auto-detect feature also got smarter — it now scans common locations like your home directory or GitHub clones and surfaces projects automatically, so you don't have to manually save every single one.

Why It’s Cool

Let’s be real: this extension was already solid. What makes this release stand out is the polish. The tag system now supports hierarchical tags (like work/frontend or personal/blog), which makes organizing dozens of projects way less messy. You can also drag and drop projects to reorder them in the panel.

The auto-detect feature is the kind of thing you don't realize you need until you use it. It picks up projects from common patterns — like Git repositories in your home folder, VS Code workspace files, or even projects you’ve opened recently. It’s aggressive enough to be useful, but not noisy.

And the open source part? The entire repository is now public under the MIT license. That means you can audit the code, suggest changes, or even fork it for your own use. For developers who value transparency or want to customize the extension, this is a big win.

How to Try It

If you already have Project Manager installed, it should update automatically. Just reload VS Code if needed.

If you’re new to it:

1. Open VS Code and go to the Extensions view (Ctrl+Shift+X).
2. Search for “Project Manager” by alefragnani.
3. Install it, then reload.
4. Open the Project Manager panel from the sidebar (look for the folder icon).

Alternatively, you can check out the repo directly:

github.com/alefragnani/vscode-project-manager

From there you can read the docs, browse the code, or open an issue if something feels off.

Final Thoughts

Project Manager 13.1 isn’t a flashy rewrite — it’s a thoughtful iteration on a tool that many developers already rely on. The tag improvements and auto-detection make it easier to stay organized without extra effort. And making it open source signals a commitment to the community that’s easy to respect.

If you’re the kind of developer who keeps a dozen tabs open and wonders where that one project went, this is worth five minutes of your time. It just works, and now it works a little better.

Follow @githubprojects for more open source tools and updates.

_{Note: This post was written by a developer for developers. No hype, just features and honest opinions.}