Problem with VScode automatic uninstalled extension (Material theme)

Question

"We have uninstalled 'equinusocio.vsc-material-theme' which was reported to be problematic."

This notification still pop-in every time I refresh VScode.

---

I already tried to manualy remove extension from extensions folder, but every time I open VScode this pop-up alerts show and apears that VScode tried to install it again.

Answer 1

I resolved this issue manually by performing the following steps:

1. Remove the theme extension folder:

   Open a terminal and navigate to the VS Code extensions folder to delete it (verify the version before).

   cd ~/.vscode/extensions
   rm -rf equinusocio.vsc-material-theme-34.7.9/ 
   

2. Edit extensions.json:

   After removing the theme's folder, open the extensions.json file and search for any entries related to equinusocio. Delete the corresponding section related to the theme, e.g.:

   {
     "identifier": {
       "id": "equinusocio.vsc-material-theme",
       "uuid": "dffaf5a1-2219-434b-9d87-cb586fd59260"
     },
     "version": "34.7.9",
     "location": {
       "$mid": 1,
       "path": "/home/ateveraz/.vscode/extensions/equinusocio.vsc-material-theme-34.7.9",
       "scheme": "file"
     },
     "relativeLocation": "equinusocio.vsc-material-theme-34.7.9",
     "metadata": {
       "installedTimestamp": 1739712853055,
       "source": "gallery",
       "id": "45bfc9eb-5e03-487f-bffe-315fa6881d6a",
       "publisherId": "3b9d55d2-da9e-415a-9bea-8d6bc07147d8",
       "publisherDisplayName": "Equinusocio",
       "targetPlatform": "undefined",
       "updated": false,
       "isPreReleaseVersion": false,
       "hasPreReleaseVersion": false
     }
   }
   

   Note: If you are using Windows or MacOS, I think that those files are in %USERPROFILE%\.vscode\extensions or in ~/.vscode/extensions, respectively.

Answer 2

Typical Microsoft synchronization issue. Browser extensions in Edge suffer from the same problem. If one is marked as outdated but your account is still syncing, it will download on every startup, show the error message, and then disable it. The issue occurs because VSCode automatically removes the extension, which it doesn't communicate properly with the backup.

How do I disable an extension forever?

From November 2024 (version 1.96), the extensions.allowed setting is available, where you can list extensions and/or publishers and specify whether you fully allow them, allow only stable versions, allow specific version numbers, or completely block them.

Add the extension to the list. If you don't otherwise use this default security list, items not on the list must be explicitly enabled.

"extensions.allowed": {
    // Enabling extensions not on the list
    "*": true,

    // Disable extension
    "equinusocio.vsc-material-theme": false,
}

This way, VSCode automatically removes the extension and disables its reinstallation.

• Disable VSCode Extensions in user settings

You can access it through the graphical interface as well. Open the settings by Ctrl,, type extensions.allowed in the search bar, then click on the "Edit in settings.json" link. After that, paste the settings I provided into the JSON.

Alternative Theme

The package mentioned in the question was likely maliciously modified, and its public repository has been removed, posing a security risk to its users. Due to this, Microsoft has blocked its usage. As an alternative, use Microsoft's official package:

• microsoft/vscode-themes - MaterialKit