VS Code tasks fail to run when esbuild-problem-matchers extension is not installed

[minus43]

Problem

This project ships a .vscode/tasks.json that references the $esbuild-watch problem matcher:

"problemMatcher": "$esbuild-watch"

However, $esbuild-watch is not a built-in VS Code problem matcher and is only available when the esbuild-problem-matchers extension is installed.

When the extension is not installed, VS Code fails to activate tasks entirely with the following error:

Activating task providers
npm Error: Invalid problemMatcher reference: $esbuild-watch

This prevents users from running or testing tasks at all.

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Why this is an issue

• esbuild itself runs correctly without any VS Code extension
• problemMatchers are a UX feature, not a runtime requirement
• however, VS Code treats unknown problemMatchers as a hard error
• as a result, tasks become unusable unless a specific extension is installed

This effectively makes the extension a mandatory dependency, even though it should be optional.

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Expected behavior

One of the following:

• tasks should still run even if the problemMatcher is unavailable, or
• the tasks configuration should not hard-depend on external problemMatchers, or
• VS Code should support optional / soft problemMatcher references

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Suggested solutions

• Provide tasks without external problemMatchers by default
• Document the problemMatcher as optional
• Or provide separate tasks for enhanced UX when the extension is installed