SIDECHANNEL Live · Sign-ups open
VS Code Extension — Public Dev Channels

Dev chat that lives in your editor.

SideChannel puts public channels of developers inside VS Code — ask in #help, share the error, insert the fix at your cursor. No tab-switching to Discord.

Install from the Marketplace See the board
GitHub sign-in No new account One network — no servers
Fig. 01A case, closed — live in #help
The Wire Live feed

Solved, in public, as it happens

Every question marked solved on the board becomes a public page — readable by anyone, no account needed. This is the wire: the latest cases closed, streamed straight from the network.

–online now
–members on the board
–questions solved
13channels · one board

The wire is quiet — for now. The first solved questions stream in here the moment they close. Ask the first one →

Directory Plate 01

The Board

Thirteen channels. One network. Every SideChannel user lands on the same board — there are no servers to hunt for, no invites to beg for, no empty rooms with your name on them.

Town Square
01#generalAnything dev
02#introductionsSay hello first
03#off-topicEverything else
Get Help
04#helpAsk. Answer. Solved.
05#code-reviewEyes on your diff
Stacks
06#javascript-typescriptThe JS/TS room
07#pythonSnakes welcome
08#rustFighting the borrow checker
09#goGophers
10#web-devFrontend, backend, CSS
Work
11#show-your-workShip logs and demos
12#jobsReal roles only
13#launchesYou shipped it. Post it.
The SideChannel channels tab, listing channel groups with online counts and an activity section showing a mention and a direct message
Fig. 02The directory — every channel on one board

The directory is the product. Thirteen rooms, staffed by whoever is coding right now — presence counts and unread badges on every row.

Patch Bay Plate 02

Built for code, not small talk

Six jacks, patched in by default. Everything here exists because a normal chat app breaks the moment a stack trace shows up.

Code-native messages

Fenced blocks render as real code — syntax-highlighted across 15 languages, with the source file and line riding on the block header.

Share my error

One command sends the error you're staring at, with file:line attached. Secrets are redacted automatically — before anything leaves your machine.

Insert fix at cursor

Someone posts the snippet that fixes it. One click drops it into your file, right at the cursor. No copy, no alt-tab, no re-indenting.

#help that closes the loop

Ask-a-question mode frames the problem properly. When a reply fixes it, mark it solved — the solver earns +10 rep, the answer gets a SOLVED stamp, and the whole thread is published as a public page anyone can link to or find on Google. No account needed to read it.

Activity inbox

@mentions, replies, and DMs collect in one inbox in the sidebar. The stuff that actually needs you never scrolls away under general chat.

Quiet by default

No notification spam, no red-dot hostage-taking. A calm sidebar, unread counts where you'd expect them, and a quiet mode for deep work.

The #help channel in the SideChannel editor panel: a solved question, a highlighted TypeScript fix with an Insert at cursor button, a redacted shared error, and a thread of replies
Fig. 03#help — popped out into the editor
Connection Procedure Plate 03

On the board in under a minute

No new account, no server setup, no configuration file. Three steps between you and thirteen rooms of developers.

01

Install the extension

Live on the VS Code Marketplace — or search “SideChannel” in the Extensions view. Thirty seconds, one reload.

02

Sign in with GitHub

Your identity is your GitHub — the same login VS Code already has. No new password, no new profile to build.

03

You're on the board

The sidebar opens on the full directory. Say hello in #introductions, or go straight to #help with the error that's blocking you.

Now Boarding — First Wave

The board is live. Get on it.

SideChannel launched October 15, 2026 — no more beta list. This wave takes 500 members, first come. Install the extension, sign in with GitHub, and you're on the board: thirteen channels, live presence, and a #help where answers don't scroll away and die.

Wave 1 · 500 · Open now One network 13 channels
Get on the board
  • Solved means solved — mark the reply that fixed it. The solver earns +10 rep, and the thread becomes a public page anyone can find.
  • A board that stays readable — a real mod queue, timeouts, and a 3-report community auto-hide keep spam and junk from owning the room.
  • Your GitHub is your identity — no new account, no password, no profile to build. Install, sign in, post.
Launched Thu Oct 15, 2026

v1.0 is live on the Marketplace — sign-ups are open now.