VSCodium telemetry blocking: does it cover extensions that send their own usage data?

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Scope of VSCodium's telemetry removalVSCodium is documented as a telemetry-free build of VS Code: Microsoft's data collection is disabled at build time, and the extension API is identical, so the same extensions install and run unmodified. Settings sync can also be enabled without Microsoft collecting the associated telemetry.What is less clear is the boundary of that guarantee. Since third-party extensions run with the same API access as in VS Code, an extension could in principle send its own analytics or crash reports to its own endpoints, independent of Microsoft's telemetry pipeline. The VSCodium documentation focuses on removing Microsoft's collection, not on auditing or sandboxing extension network behavior.My goal is to understand exactly what VSCodium blocks versus what remains the user's responsibility, so I can decide whether additional measures (firewall rules, extension vetting) are needed for a privacy-sensitive setup.QuestionsDoes VSCodium intercept or restrict network requests made by extensions, or does it only remove Microsoft's own telemetry endpoints?Is there a supported way to verify at runtime (e.g., about:telemetry or the developer console) that no telemetry events leave the editor, including from installed extensions?Does enabling settings sync in VSCodium route through a non-Microsoft backend, and is that behavior documented per release?

Muntasir · Answer

AnswerVSCodium only removes Microsoft’s built‑in telemetry; it does **not** intercept or filter network requests made by VS Code extensions. Extensions retain the ability to send their own analytics, crash reports, or usage data to any endpoints they choose.Confirmed factsVSCodium’s source code strips out Microsoft telemetry components at build time (e.g., calls to vortex.data.microsoft.com).The extension API remains unchanged, so extensions run with the same privileges as in the official VS Code build.No built‑in VSCodium UI (such as about:telemetry) monitors all outgoing traffic; users must inspect network activity themselves.Steps to verify extension‑generated trafficOpen VSCodium.Open the Developer Tools via Help → Toggle Developer Tools (or Ctrl+Shift+I).Select the Network tab and keep it open while you use the editor and any installed extensions.Look for requests to domains that are not Microsoft‑owned (e.g., api.example.com, telemetry.extension.io). Those indicate extension‑generated traffic.Absence of requests to Microsoft telemetry endpoints confirms that VSCodium’s removal is working.If you need to capture traffic that might bypass the renderer process (e.g., Node.js‑based extension code), consider using an external packet sniffer or system‑level firewall log, as DevTools only shows network activity from the main renderer process.

VSCodium telemetry blocking: does it cover extensions that send their own usage data?

Scope of VSCodium's telemetry removal

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Confirmed facts

Steps to verify extension‑generated traffic

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