Preserve Runtime Folders — VS Code Extension

Protect root-level local environments, dependency installs, caches, and other generated runtime state when Avora replaces managed source files.

Task

Add project-specific runtime directory names to the extension's built-in preservation list.

Prerequisites

• You know which root-level folders are recreated locally and should not come from Avora generation.
• The folder names do not contain source files that must be refreshed from the workspace.

Find This in VS Code

Open Avora: Open Settings and edit avora.preserveLocalRuntimeFolders as an array of root-level folder names.

Steps

1. Review the built-in preserved folders: .venv, venv, node_modules, __pycache__, .pytest_cache, .mypy_cache, .ruff_cache, and .tox.
2. Add only additional root-level names, for example .direnv or a tool-specific cache folder.
3. Save the setting before the next project update or node preview generation.
4. Run the update and confirm the folder remains unchanged.

Example setting:

{
  "avora.preserveLocalRuntimeFolders": [".direnv", ".cache-local"]
}

Preserved folders are excluded from manifest drift checks, read-only changes, replacement, and project recovery snapshots. Preservation applies only when the name is at the generated project's root.

Expected Result

The listed runtime folders survive managed updates while generated source and dependency manifests can still refresh.

Next Step

Review Read-only Files and Snapshots and Update Pulled Code.

Troubleshooting

• If a nested cache is removed, preserve its root-level parent or move the runtime state to a root folder.
• If generated source stops updating, remove source directories from the preservation list.
• If a dependency manifest changes, reinstall dependencies even though the installed runtime folder was preserved.