feat: implement proxy-based telemetry for VS Code extension by markijbema · Pull Request #410 · Kilo-Org/kilo

markijbema · 2026-02-18T07:38:33Z

Summary

Implements proxy-based telemetry for the VS Code extension, forwarding events through the CLI server to the kilo-telemetry package (PostHog).

Architecture

Webview (SolidJS)  →  postMessage  →  Extension Host  →  HTTP POST /telemetry/capture  →  CLI Server  →  kilo-telemetry (PostHog)

The extension never talks to PostHog directly. All telemetry flows through the CLI server, which owns the PostHog client via @kilocode/kilo-telemetry.

Limitations

I only added the telemetry for events which arent happening in the CLI; this means that some classical events are missing because the cli does not emit them. I think we need to look at how to get that more in sync between CLI and vscode, as i don't think we want that as a separate code path in the vscode extension.

Fixes #371

markijbema · 2026-02-18T13:56:09Z

AGENTS.md

 2. **Minimize changes to shared files** - When you must modify files that exist in upstream opencode, keep changes as small and isolated as possible.

 3. **Use `kilocode_change` markers** - When modifying shared code, mark your changes with `kilocode_change` comments so they can be easily identified during merges.
+   Do not use these markers in files within directories with kilo in the name


got annoyed by this

… telemetry plan

- Add POST /telemetry/capture endpoint to CLI server - Add TelemetryProxy singleton in extension (forwards to CLI) - Add webview telemetry helper (postMessage → extension → CLI) - Pass telemetry env vars (level, editor_name, platform, machineId) to CLI - Wire up KiloProvider as TelemetryPropertiesProvider - Replace TelemetryStub with real TelemetryProxy in autocomplete - 53 telemetry events covering tasks, LLM, tools, UI, autocomplete, etc.

…etry

The PostHogSpanExporter and TracerSetup had hardcoded 'kilo-cli' and process.platform values, bypassing the env var overrides. Now appName, appVersion, and platform flow from Telemetry.init() through TracerSetup to PostHogSpanExporter, so $ai_generation events show correct values when CLI is spawned by VS Code.

- KILO_APP_NAME: product name ('kilo-code') — overrides appName - KILO_EDITOR_NAME: IDE name (vscode.env.appName) — sets editorName only - Previously both were set to the same 'Kilo VSCode (CLI)' value

…ORARY)

- appName: 'kilo-code' (was vscode.env.appName which showed 'Visual Studio Code') - platform: 'vscode' (was process.platform which showed 'darwin') - editorName: vscode.env.appName (IDE name, e.g. 'Visual Studio Code') - vscodeVersion: vscode.version (e.g. '1.109.4')

Previously picked the first binary found in dist (often linux-x64-musl). Now checks for cli-{platform}-{arch} first (e.g. cli-darwin-arm64).

- Added KILO_VSCODE_VERSION env var passed from extension to CLI - OTel span exporter now includes editorName and vscodeVersion - Removed all _debug_* temporary properties from track() and exportSpan()

markijbema · 2026-02-18T16:45:01Z

packages/kilo-vscode/script/local-bin.ts


-  // Expected: packages/opencode/dist/@kilocode/cli-<platform>/bin/kilo
-  // But keep it flexible: find any dist/**/bin/kilo
+  // Prefer the binary matching the current platform (e.g. cli-darwin-arm64)


it was copying the linux build for me

packages/kilo-vscode/src/services/telemetry/telemetry-proxy.ts

packages/opencode/src/server/routes/telemetry.ts

kiloconnect · 2026-02-18T16:49:48Z

Code Review Summary

Status: No New Issues Found | Recommendation: Address existing comments before merge

Overview

This PR implements a telemetry proxy architecture where the VS Code extension forwards telemetry events to the CLI server via POST /telemetry/capture, which then delivers them to PostHog. The implementation is well-structured with clean separation of concerns:

TelemetryProxy (singleton in extension) — enriches events with VS Code context and POSTs to CLI
TelemetryRoutes (CLI server) — receives events and forwards to kilo-telemetry
Environment variables (KILO_APP_NAME, KILO_TELEMETRY_LEVEL, etc.) — configure CLI-side telemetry from VS Code context
Webview bridge — captureTelemetryEvent() helper posts messages to extension host

The existing inline comments from reviewers cover the key issues. No additional bugs, security vulnerabilities, or runtime errors were found.

Other Observations (not in diff)

Issues found during review that are design considerations rather than bugs:

File	Observation
`packages/kilo-vscode/src/services/cli-backend/server-manager.ts`	`KILO_TELEMETRY_LEVEL` is set once at CLI spawn time. If the user toggles VS Code telemetry settings after the CLI starts, CLI-originated events (OTel spans, session tracking) continue using the stale setting. Extension-originated events are properly gated by `TelemetryProxy.isVSCodeTelemetryEnabled()`. Consider subscribing to `vscode.env.onDidChangeTelemetryEnabled` and calling a `/telemetry/set-enabled` endpoint in a follow-up.
`packages/kilo-vscode/src/services/telemetry/telemetry-proxy.ts`	The `TelemetryProxy` has no event queuing — events fired before `configure()` is called (i.e., before CLI connects) are silently dropped. This is likely acceptable for a first implementation but worth noting.

Files Reviewed (25 files)

AGENTS.md — 1 existing comment
packages/kilo-telemetry/src/__tests__/telemetry.test.ts — updated constructor calls, no issues
packages/kilo-telemetry/src/identity.ts — KILO_MACHINE_ID env override, clean
packages/kilo-telemetry/src/otel-exporter.ts — expanded constructor options, clean
packages/kilo-telemetry/src/telemetry.ts — env var overrides for app metadata, clean
packages/kilo-telemetry/src/tracer.ts — passes new options through, clean
packages/kilo-vscode/docs/non-agent-features/telemetry.md — documentation updates
packages/kilo-vscode/script/local-bin.ts — 1 existing comment (platform-specific binary selection)
packages/kilo-vscode/src/KiloProvider.ts — 1 existing comment (message.event validation)
packages/kilo-vscode/src/extension.ts — telemetry wiring, clean
packages/kilo-vscode/src/services/autocomplete/AutocompleteServiceManager.ts — migrated to TelemetryProxy
packages/kilo-vscode/src/services/autocomplete/classic-auto-complete/AutocompleteTelemetry.ts — migrated to TelemetryProxy
packages/kilo-vscode/src/services/autocomplete/shims/TelemetryStub.ts — deleted (replaced by TelemetryProxy)
packages/kilo-vscode/src/services/cli-backend/connection-service.ts — exposes server config, clean
packages/kilo-vscode/src/services/cli-backend/server-manager.ts — env vars for CLI telemetry config
packages/kilo-vscode/src/services/telemetry/errors.ts — new error types, clean
packages/kilo-vscode/src/services/telemetry/index.ts — barrel export, clean
packages/kilo-vscode/src/services/telemetry/telemetry-proxy.ts — 5 existing comments
packages/kilo-vscode/src/services/telemetry/types.ts — 1 existing comment
packages/kilo-vscode/webview-ui/src/components/settings/SettingsRow.tsx — removed stale marker
packages/kilo-vscode/webview-ui/src/context/vscode.tsx — exported getVSCodeAPI, clean
packages/kilo-vscode/webview-ui/src/types/messages.ts — added TelemetryRequest type, clean
packages/kilo-vscode/webview-ui/src/utils/telemetry.ts — webview telemetry helper, clean
packages/opencode/src/server/routes/telemetry.ts — 1 existing comment (type safety)
packages/opencode/src/server/server.ts — route registration, clean

packages/kilo-vscode/src/KiloProvider.ts

packages/kilo-vscode/src/services/telemetry/telemetry-proxy.ts

packages/kilo-vscode/src/services/telemetry/types.ts

packages/kilo-vscode/src/services/telemetry/telemetry-proxy.ts

chrarnoldus · 2026-02-18T17:17:44Z

packages/kilo-vscode/src/services/telemetry/telemetry-proxy.ts

+    }
+
+    const payload = JSON.stringify({ event, properties: merged })
+    const auth = `Basic ${Buffer.from(`kilo:${this.password}`).toString("base64")}`


Why Basic and not Bearer?

this is to the cli, not the api

Respects --disable-telemetry CLI flag, managed/policy settings, and other VS Code-level overrides that getConfiguration() misses.

github-actions bot added the contributor label Feb 18, 2026

markijbema changed the title ~~feat: implement telemetry for vscode extension~~ feat: implement proxy-based telemetry for VS Code extension Feb 18, 2026

markijbema commented Feb 18, 2026

View reviewed changes

markijbema added 13 commits February 18, 2026 15:38

docs: replace pluggable clients references with singleton language in…

36b9c26

… telemetry plan

chore: remove unnecessary kilocode_change markers from kilo-vscode

3e08eca

chore: remove unnecessary kilocode_change markers from kilo-telemetry

72dabbd

update agents.md to prevent spurious kilocode change markers

79a6fe3

refactor: add TelemetryProxy.tryCapture() convenience method

3bb8b02

chore: update editor name to distinguish CLI-backed extension

d9636fc

refactor: remove typed capture helpers from TelemetryProxy

6d89117

chore: remove redundant comments from errors.ts

1c0a2bf

cleanup proxy a bit

07f0aec

refactor: make TelemetryProxy.getInstance() auto-create singleton

0011e1e

refactor: remove globalThis.__vscodeApi hack from webview telemetry

a2b5161

refactor: rename TelemetryProxy.tryCapture to capture

d862296

markijbema force-pushed the mark/telemetry-implementation branch from 1e13cc9 to d862296 Compare February 18, 2026 14:39

markijbema added 9 commits February 18, 2026 15:45

fix: use vscode.env.appName and remove architecture property

9837cbc

fix: use KILO_EDITOR_NAME as appName in CLI telemetry

cfb0cd2

feat: add KILO_APP_VERSION env var for extension version in CLI telem…

5e28940

…etry

refactor: separate appName and editorName into distinct env vars

b1e71ef

- KILO_APP_NAME: product name ('kilo-code') — overrides appName - KILO_EDITOR_NAME: IDE name (vscode.env.appName) — sets editorName only - Previously both were set to the same 'Kilo VSCode (CLI)' value

debug: add telemetry debug properties for PostHog investigation (TEMP…

7d5e73f

…ORARY)

fix: local-bin.ts now prefers current platform binary

eb5efd3

Previously picked the first binary found in dist (often linux-x64-musl). Now checks for cli-{platform}-{arch} first (e.g. cli-darwin-arm64).

fix: add editorName + vscodeVersion to OTel events, remove debug fields

1c89221

- Added KILO_VSCODE_VERSION env var passed from extension to CLI - OTel span exporter now includes editorName and vscodeVersion - Removed all _debug_* temporary properties from track() and exportSpan()

markijbema commented Feb 18, 2026

View reviewed changes

markijbema marked this pull request as ready for review February 18, 2026 16:45

markijbema requested review from chrarnoldus and marius-kilocode February 18, 2026 16:45

kiloconnect bot reviewed Feb 18, 2026

View reviewed changes

packages/kilo-vscode/src/services/telemetry/telemetry-proxy.ts Outdated Show resolved Hide resolved

packages/kilo-vscode/src/services/telemetry/telemetry-proxy.ts Outdated Show resolved Hide resolved

packages/opencode/src/server/routes/telemetry.ts Show resolved Hide resolved

chore: remove unused TelemetrySetting and updateTelemetryState

fda8a5f

markijbema force-pushed the mark/telemetry-implementation branch from 9bbf55d to fda8a5f Compare February 18, 2026 17:07

kiloconnect bot reviewed Feb 18, 2026

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packages/kilo-vscode/src/KiloProvider.ts Show resolved Hide resolved

packages/kilo-vscode/src/services/telemetry/telemetry-proxy.ts Outdated Show resolved Hide resolved

chrarnoldus reviewed Feb 18, 2026

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packages/kilo-vscode/src/services/telemetry/types.ts Show resolved Hide resolved

chrarnoldus reviewed Feb 18, 2026

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packages/kilo-vscode/src/services/telemetry/telemetry-proxy.ts Outdated Show resolved Hide resolved

chrarnoldus reviewed Feb 18, 2026

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markijbema added 2 commits February 18, 2026 18:17

fix: log telemetry capture errors instead of swallowing

b004151

fix: use vscode.env.isTelemetryEnabled instead of raw config

f2f7baf

Respects --disable-telemetry CLI flag, managed/policy settings, and other VS Code-level overrides that getConfiguration() misses.

markijbema enabled auto-merge February 18, 2026 17:23

chrarnoldus approved these changes Feb 18, 2026

View reviewed changes

markijbema merged commit 67107e5 into dev Feb 18, 2026
7 checks passed

markijbema deleted the mark/telemetry-implementation branch February 18, 2026 17:25

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feat: implement proxy-based telemetry for VS Code extension#410

feat: implement proxy-based telemetry for VS Code extension#410
markijbema merged 25 commits intodevfrom
mark/telemetry-implementation

markijbema commented Feb 18, 2026 •

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Summary

Architecture

Limitations

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markijbema commented Feb 18, 2026 •

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