Why I Built vstack for VS Code Copilot Agent Workflows

Erik — Sat, 27 Jun 2026 14:52:06 +0000

I built vstack because I kept seeing the same pattern:

AI coding agents can be very capable, but team delivery still becomes inconsistent.

For one-off tasks, the default planner and agent experience in VS Code is often good enough.

But once work crosses multiple stages, planning, architecture, design, implementation, verification, and release, quality and alignment can drift quickly.

That is the gap I wanted to address.

What vstack is

vstack is a VS Code-native AI engineering workflow system for backend-oriented software work.

It provides a structured operating model through reusable:

agents
skills
instructions
prompts

The goal is simple: reduce ad-hoc prompting and improve repeatable delivery.

A quick note on the name

The name vstack is a small nod to gstack, which helped inspire the early thinking.

From there, I intentionally took a different direction: more VS Code-native, more template-driven, and more focused on structured team workflows.

So yes, there is inspiration, but vstack is intentionally its own thing.

How teams can run it

vstack supports multiple execution styles:

agentic mode: planner-led orchestration across stages
manual mode: explicit stage-by-stage handoffs
hybrid mode: both paths available when teams need flexibility

This allows teams to choose strict orchestration, explicit control, or a practical mix based on change risk and team maturity.

Human-in-the-loop by design

A core principle in vstack is user-gated progression.

Stages produce artifacts, and progression can pause based on human-in-the-loop policy for explicit confirmation when needed.

In practice, users can inspect outputs, validate direction, and approve before moving to the next stage.

For me, this is the practical version of human-in-the-loop: not just AI output, but human control over progression and quality gates.

What vstack is not

vstack is not trying to replace default VS Code agent usage for quick solo tasks.

Default flows can already work very well.

vstack is aimed at teams that want clearer boundaries, more consistency, and a shared way of working over time.

Why I am sharing this now

I am looking for practical feedback from people actively using agentic workflows in VS Code.

I want to understand:

whether vstack creates real value in day-to-day use
where friction is too high
what should be improved next
and whether to continue deepening this direction or adjust course

If you are using similar workflows, I would value your experience.

Short and honest feedback is exactly what I need.

Try it

GitHub: https://github.com/eschaar/vstack
PyPI: https://pypi.org/project/vstack/

Install options:

pipx install vstack
pip install vstack
brew install eschaar/vstack/vstack

DEV Community: Erik