Feature Request: Public API to programmatically control the integrated terminal from extensions

[iwhp]

Use Case

We are building Task Runner Extended, a VS extension (VisualStudio.Extensibility SDK 17.14, out-of-process) that runs shell commands and displays their output. We want to use VS's integrated terminal (View → Terminal) for this — similar to how GitHub Copilot Agent Mode runs terminal commands.

What we need

• Open a named terminal tab from an extension
• Send a command to a specific terminal tab
• Track process lifecycle (running/exited) per tab
• Close or reuse a terminal tab
• Available from out-of-process extensions

Current state

There is no public API to create, name, or control terminal tabs — neither in the VisualStudio.Extensibility SDK nor in VSSDK. DTE.ExecuteCommand is not available in out-of-process extensions (#329, #153). Our current workaround is Output Window Panes (read-only, no interactivity).

Why it matters

Many extensions need to run and display shell commands (task runners, build tools, deployment tools). The integrated terminal is the natural place for interactive command output. VS Code has a rich Terminal API (window.createTerminal) — a similar capability in Visual Studio would be very valuable.

Environment

• VisualStudio.Extensibility SDK 17.14.*
• Visual Studio 2026
• Out-of-process extension