WHY THIS EXISTS
Open a folder.
Get to work.
Lean VS Code exists for people who want the familiar Code-OSS editor centered on writing code and reviewing local changes. It keeps the useful tools and extension platform, while shipping fewer built-in surfaces and a smaller default extension set.
Editing comes first
Open files, search a project, run a command in the integrated terminal, and inspect a local Git diff. The built-in chat and agent panes are removed from the workbench. The goal is a calmer starting point, without changing the familiar editing loop.
Add what you need
The release bundles 33 extensions for core language support, themes, and local Git. Search and install more through Open VSX, or install a local VSIX. Optional extensions can bring their own features, resource use, and network behavior.
Quiet by default
Telemetry, experiments, and extension recommendations are off by default. Signed macOS update checks from GitHub are enabled by default and can be changed in Settings. Lean VS Code has its own app identity, settings, and extensions, so it can run beside Visual Studio Code.
An independent fork
Lean VS Code is a free, open-source community fork of Code-OSS, not Microsoft's Visual Studio Code distribution. Its source, build instructions, release history, and measurement methods are public. The current v0.6.0 release is for Apple Silicon Macs.
SHORT ANSWER
Why make another VS Code fork?
To keep the editor, search, terminal, Git review, and optional extensions while giving developers a quieter default workspace. It is a deliberate set of choices built on Code-OSS, with specific measured performance results and clearly stated limits.