A lightweight yet powerful VS Code extension that automatically generates project structure documentation.
AutoTree is a simple yet powerful VS Code extension that automatically generates a Markdown file (PROJECT_TREE.md) representing your project's folder and file structure. It supports custom ignore lists, custom recursion depth, and smart configuration management with manual setup prompts.
🚀 Automatic Generation - Quickly generate project structure with a single command ⚙️ Flexible Configuration - Customize ignore patterns, depth limits, and output filename 🧠 Smart Configuration Management - Automatically detects and resolves configuration conflicts 🌍 Multi-language Support - Full English and Chinese interface 📊 Depth Control - Limit recursion depth to focus on relevant project structure 🔧 Multiple Configuration Sources - Supports project, workspace, and user settings
Open VS Code Go to Extensions (Ctrl+Shift+X) Search for "AutoTree" Click Install
Method 1: Command Palette
Open Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P / Cmd+Shift+P) Type "AutoTree: Generate Project Tree" Press Enter Method 2: Manual Configuration
If no configuration is found, the extension will guide you through manual setup:
Enter files/folders to ignore Set recursion depth (or unlimited) Specify output filename
Add these settings to your VS Code settings.json:
{
"autotree.ignore": ["node_modules", ".git", "dist", "build"],
"autotree.maxDepth": 3,
"autotree.outputFile": "PROJECT_TREE.md"
}Configuration Priority
The extension follows this priority order:
Project Settings (.vscode/settings.json) - Highest priority Workspace Settings User Settings (Global) - Lowest priority
Setting Type Default Description autotree.ignore string[] ["node_modules", ".git"] Files/folders to exclude from tree autotree.maxDepth number undefined (unlimited) Maximum recursion depth (positive integer) autotree.outputFile string "PROJECT_TREE.md" Output filename
my-project/
├── src/
│ ├── components/
│ │ ├── Button.js
│ │ └── Header.js
│ ├── utils/
│ │ └── helpers.js
│ └── index.js
├── public/
│ ├── index.html
│ └── favicon.ico
├── package.json
├── README.md
└── .gitignore
Configuration Detection - Checks project, workspace, and user settings Conflict Resolution - Prompts user if multiple configurations exist Depth Validation - Ensures depth doesn't exceed project limits Tree Generation - Creates structured tree representation File Output - Saves to specified Markdown file
When maxDepth ≤ 0, no files will be generated If input depth exceeds project's actual depth, it will be automatically adjusted Empty depth input means unlimited recursion The extension uses plain text tree format for better compatibility
No workspace folder found
Ensure you have a folder open in VS Code Use File > Open Folder to open your project Configuration not working
Check configuration priority: Project > Workspace > User Verify JSON syntax in settings.json Tree generation fails
Check file permissions in your project directory Ensure output file is not open in another program
Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit pull requests or open issues for bugs and feature requests.
MIT License © 2025 EL233