Visual Studio Code is the undisputed king of code editors, but a vibrant ecosystem of forks like VSCodium, Cursor, and Windsurf offers unique features, from AI integrations to a telemetry-free experience. For .NET developers, however, there's a catch. When you install the official C# Dev Kit, you're often greeted with a frustrating error:

.NET Debugging is supported only in Microsoft versions of VS Code.

This message can feel like a dead end, forcing you to choose between your preferred editor and essential debugging tools. Fortunately, there are robust, community-supported solutions that respect both licensing and open-source principles.

This guide will show you the recommended way to enable .NET debugging using a third-party debugger and, as a last resort, explain the risks of patching the official extension.

The Recommended Solution: Use a Third-Party Debugger

If you are intentionally using a non-Microsoft IDE, the best and most reliable approach is to use an alternative, open-source debugger. The most popular choice is netcoredbg, a managed code debugger for CoreCLR with an MI interface, developed by Samsung.

This method is fully compliant with software licenses and provides a stable, long-term solution that won't break with every extension update.

Step 1: Install netcoredbg

You can install netcoredbg using a package manager. For example, on macOS with Homebrew:

brew install samsung/tizen/netcoredbg

For other operating systems, refer to the official netcoredbg installation guide.

Step 2: Configure launch.json

Once installed, you need to configure your project's launch.json file to use netcoredbg as the debugging engine. This involves adding a pipeTransport object to your launch configuration.

Here is a sample configuration. You will need to replace the placeholder paths with the actual path to your netcoredbg executable.

{
    "version": "0.2.0",
    "configurations": [
        {
            "name": ".NET Core Launch with netcoredbg",
            "type": "coreclr",
            "request": "launch",
            "preLaunchTask": "build",
            "program": "${workspaceFolder}/bin/Debug/net8.0/YourApp.dll",
            "args": [],
            "cwd": "${workspaceFolder}",
            "stopAtEntry": false,
            "console": "internalConsole",
            "pipeTransport": {
                "pipeCwd": "${workspaceFolder}",
                "pipeProgram": "/usr/local/bin/netcoredbg", // <-- IMPORTANT: Update this path
                "pipeArgs": ["--interpreter=vscode"],
                "debuggerPath": "/usr/local/bin/netcoredbg" // <-- IMPORTANT: Update this path
            }
        }
    ]
}

After saving the configuration, you can run the ".NET Core Launch with netcoredbg" profile from the "Run and Debug" panel to start your debugging session.

Last Resort: The Licensing Hack (Not Recommended)

While it is possible to patch the C# Dev Kit extension to bypass its vendor check, this method is not recommended. It should only be considered a temporary workaround if all other options fail.

Disclaimer: This method likely violates the C# Dev Kit's license agreement. It is an unsupported, community-driven hack that can break at any time. You will need to re-apply this patch every time the extension is updated.

Why Does This Work?

The C# Dev Kit extension inspects a product.json file in your editor's installation directory to verify it is an official Microsoft product. The patch involves modifying the extension's minified JavaScript to skip this check.

The Patching Process

1. Locate Your Extensions Folder: Find the folder where your editor installs extensions (e.g., ~/.vscode-oss/extensions on macOS/Linux, ~/.cursor/extensions for Cursor).
2. Find the C# Dev Kit Folder: Look for a directory named ms-dotnettools.csdevkit-*.
3. Edit dist/extension.js: Open this file and use a code formatter to make it readable.
4. Modify the Check: Search for a condition that checks product names (e.g., l.product.nameLong.includes("Visual Studio Code")). Forcing this condition to if (true) will bypass the check.
5. Restart Your Editor: Save the file and restart your editor completely.

Conclusion

For developers committed to using VS Code forks like VSCodium, Cursor, or Windsurf, embracing open-source alternatives like netcoredbg is the most sustainable and responsible path forward. It provides a stable debugging experience without the legal and technical headaches of patching proprietary software.

While the licensing hack exists, it's a fragile solution that puts you in a constant cat-and-mouse game with updates. By configuring a third-party debugger, you get to keep the unique features of your preferred editor without sacrificing essential .NET development tools. Happy debugging!