TL;DR: CodeNeat is a free, open-source VS Code formatter extension that formats 41 languages with one install. It uses official engines like Prettier, Ruff, gofmt and clang-format, gives you a visual settings dashboard instead of JSON config files, and shows a live before/after preview before anything changes. No account, no telemetry, no network requests.
🛒 Install from the VS Code Marketplace: CodeNeat on Visual Studio Marketplace
👉 GitHub: github.com/pamaljayasinghe/CodeNeat
Why I Built Another Code Formatter for VS Code
If you work in more than one language, your VS Code setup probably looks like this:
- Prettier for JavaScript, TypeScript, HTML and CSS
- Black or Ruff for Python
- clang-format for C and C++
- A separate extension for Go, PHP, SQL, Lua, Bash…
- And a pile of
.prettierrc,pyproject.tomland.clang-formatfiles to keep them in line
Every language means another extension, another config file and another set of conflicts in Format on Save. I also noticed I was spending AI tokens asking assistants to fix indentation, which a formatter should do for free.
So I built CodeNeat: one extension, every language, your style.
What Is CodeNeat?
CodeNeat is a multi-language code formatter for Visual Studio Code. It formats 41 languages and file formats through their official formatting engines, and replaces hand-edited configuration with a visual dashboard and a live preview.
Key Features at a Glance
| Feature | What you get |
|---|---|
| 🌐 41 languages | 32 ready on install, 9 more with guided setup |
| ⚙️ Built-in engines | Prettier, Ruff, gofmt, clang-format, StyLua, shfmt, dart format and more |
| 🎛️ Visual settings dashboard | 15 searchable sections, no JSON editing |
| 👀 Live before/after preview | See every changed line before you save |
| 📁 Respects your project |
.editorconfig, .prettierrc, .clang-format, rustfmt.toml take priority and are never modified |
| 🔒 100% private | No account, no telemetry, no network requests |
| 💸 Free and open source | Apache 2.0 licence |
Which Languages Does CodeNeat Support?
Ready on install (32): HTML, CSS, SCSS, Less, JavaScript, TypeScript, JSX, TSX, JSON, YAML, Markdown, MDX, Vue, Angular templates, GraphQL, XML, Java, Python, C, C++, C#, PHP, Go, Dart, Bash, Lua, SQL, TOML, Dockerfile, Protocol Buffers and LaTeX.
Guided setup: Rust, Ruby, Kotlin, Scala, Swift, F#, PowerShell, R and Terraform use the formatter from their own toolchain. If one is missing, CodeNeat shows you the exact install command, asks you to confirm, and runs it in a terminal.
No other extension is required.
How to Format Code in VS Code with CodeNeat
- Install the extension (see the install section below).
- Open any supported file.
- Click the CodeNeat button at the top right of the editor.
- Changed lines are highlighted in green. Choose Keep Changes or Undo Changes.
That's it. Prefer the keyboard? Use:
Windows / Linux: Ctrl + Alt + Shift + F
macOS: ⌘ + ⌥ + ⇧ + F
All the Ways to Format
- Editor button at the top right
- Keyboard shortcut (above)
- Right-click menu: Format Document, Format Selection, Format Document with Review
- Status bar: click CodeNeat at the bottom right
- Automatically: Format on Save, on Paste and on Type
-
Format Workspace: format a whole folder with a preview, progress and a summary (skips
node_modules, build output and everything in.gitignore)
How to Enable Format on Save in VS Code
- Open the CodeNeat dashboard from the Activity Bar.
- Go to Auto Formatting.
- Make CodeNeat the default formatter.
- Switch on Format on Save.
Or run the command CodeNeat: Use CodeNeat as Default Formatter.
Customize Your Code Style Without JSON
The settings dashboard lets you set:
- Line length: 60 to 160 presets, or any value from 40 to 300 (default 120)
- Indentation: spaces or tabs, 2, 4, 8 or custom
- Style: quotes, semicolons, trailing commas, brace position, blank lines, import sorting
- Per-language rules: apply a setting to all languages or just one, for yourself or the whole workspace
- Profiles: Standard, Compact, Readable and Team Style built in, plus your own (import/export to share with your team)
Every change shows up in the live preview before you press Apply.
Language-specific extras include C/C++/C# base styles (LLVM, Google, Microsoft, Mozilla, WebKit, Chromium, GNU), Python quote style, SQL dialect and keyword case, and XML whitespace handling.
CodeNeat vs Prettier: What's the Difference?
Prettier is excellent, and CodeNeat uses Prettier under the hood for web languages. The difference is scope:
| Prettier extension | CodeNeat | |
|---|---|---|
| Languages | Web languages (JS, TS, CSS, HTML, JSON, YAML, Markdown…) | 41, including Python, Go, C/C++, C#, Java, PHP, Dart, SQL, Lua, Bash, Rust |
| Configuration |
.prettierrc file |
Visual dashboard + respects .prettierrc
|
| Preview | No | Live side-by-side diff |
| Review before change | No | Yes (Enter to keep, Escape to undo) |
If you only write JavaScript, Prettier alone is enough. If you switch between languages, CodeNeat replaces a stack of formatter extensions with one.
Is CodeNeat Safe for My Code?
Yes. CodeNeat:
- Makes no network requests and collects no telemetry
- Never edits your project config files
- Never changes behaviour, only layout. Code-changing options like removing unused imports are off by default and clearly labelled
- Leaves files over the size or time limit untouched and tells you why
How to Install CodeNeat
Option 1: VS Code Marketplace (recommended)
- Open the CodeNeat page on the VS Code Marketplace and click Install, or
- In VS Code, open the Extensions view (
Ctrl+Shift+X/⌘+⇧+X), search CodeNeat and click Install.
You can also install it from the terminal:
code --install-extension PamalJayasinghe.codeneat
Option 2: Install from a VSIX
Download the .vsix from the GitHub releases page, then run:
code --install-extension codeneat.vsix
Or in VS Code: Extensions view → … menu → Install from VSIX…
Requires VS Code 1.90 or newer.
FAQ
What is the best code formatter extension for VS Code?
For a single web project, Prettier. For multi-language work, CodeNeat formats 41 languages with one extension, a visual settings dashboard and a live preview.
Does CodeNeat work with Python?
Yes. It uses Ruff (built in) and lets you set quote style, indentation and list layout.
Can I use my existing .prettierrc or .editorconfig?
Yes. Project config files take priority by default and are never modified.
Where can I download CodeNeat?
From the VS Code Marketplace (search "CodeNeat" in the Extensions view) or from the GitHub releases page.
Is CodeNeat free?
Yes. It is free and open source under the Apache License 2.0.
Does it work offline?
Yes. All engines are bundled. No account or internet connection is needed.
Try It and Tell Me What You Think
🛒 Install it: VS Code Marketplace
⭐ Star it on GitHub: github.com/pamaljayasinghe/CodeNeat
📖 Read the intro on Medium: Stop Spending AI Tokens on Indentation: Meet CodeNeat
Which language should get more formatting options next? Drop a comment below 👇
#vscode #codeformatter #prettier #opensource #webdev #productivity #python #javascript #typescript #developertools
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