Repeated task fails silently to execute (VS Code version 1.122.0)

[JoKre17]

Since some weeks now (probably due to VS Code version updates) this extension stops to work after 1-2 executions of configured tasks.

The symptom happens after executing about 2 tasks (preferrably the same task) after each other (as tasks I have executables that are longer running such as a client/server) then the next time I want to run a task (and none is running anymore at that point) I get the prompt for Select an instance to terminate with the dropdown menu showing no option (correctly since no instance of that task is running).

Trying to start other tasks does not prompt anything and no task is executed.

To workaround this issue I have to perform a reload of the VS Code window, then it works again.

This is my VS Code version information:

Version: 1.122.0 (system setup)
Commit: 6a49527b96e326fe62fbdb56f60e16877c9aa724
Date: 2026-05-27T14:03:01-07:00
Electron: 39.8.8
ElectronBuildId: 13870025
Chromium: 142.0.7444.265
Node.js: 22.22.1
V8: 14.2.231.22-electron.0
OS: Windows_NT x64 10.0.22631

Does anyone experience the same issue?
Is there a way I can get some logs from the extension? Selecting the OUTPUT tab and switching to the filter for Extension Host (Remote) I am seeing only a single log line from the extension which was:

2026-05-28 19:04:51.609 [info] ExtensionService#_doActivateExtension rioj7.command-variable, startup: false, activationEvent: 'onCommand:extension.commandvariable.remember'

Thanks in advance! I really like to use this extension, it removed the need to write my own python scripts to perform tasks and combine some parameterized command lines.

[rioj7]

@JoKre17 Can you give a more detailed step-by-step action. Like

• Start VSC
• Start TaskA
• Wait till it finishes
• Start TaksA
• .....

What does the task do and what are you using from this extension in the task?

When do you see this onCommand:extension.commandvariable.remember line in the OUTPUT?

Where is the text Select an instance to terminate used? Is it in the task?

Can you show an dummyfied version of the task?

[rioj7]

@JoKre17 What behavior do you see when you remove the extension from the task and hard code the strings it would supply?

If you have extension activation with the remember command is there anything is the remember store to retrieve?

[JoKre17]

Good evening @rioj7 ,
i think the core issue happens consistently every time when Task A is started and ends, Task B is started and ends, Task A fails to start.

In this scenario VS Code does not show anything on the 2nd attempt of starting Task A.
Then if I try it a another time I get the output mentioned with "Select an instance to terminate" with the selection list only having "No instance is currently running".

Both tasks have multiple inputs including remember store access and the task command line looks something like this:

Server:
bin/my_server ${input:databaseParam} ${input:userIdParam} ${input:userPassParam} ${input:clientModeParam}

Setup Tool:
bin/my_setup_tool ${input:sqlitePathParam} ${input:userIdParam}

Something like the sqlitePathParam is them a type command with the command id extension.commandvariable.transform accessing remember:sqlitePath.
That in return is defined with a pickFile command from a given folder. The id sqlitePath itself is then a extension.commandvariable.remember.

I am using the VS Code setting commandvariable.remember.persistent.file with a path to my workspace folder / .vscode / commandvariable.json. The store always contains the data from previous runs or days. (Btw. using "workspaces" in VS Code does not work with the persistent store, maybe because the workspace root in that case might be actually above the folder if the workspace includes multiple directories)

The log line about the ExtensionService activating the extension happens exactly when the first input field of my command line is triggered. the userIdParam and userPassParam are of type extension.commandvariable.transform and use in the text field promptStringRemember:promptUserPass which is itself defined as the command extension.commandvariable.promptStringRemember.

It may well be that I have it more complicated than needed, but the missing output on error made me figure out a working configuration using try-and-error. 😅

As I mentioned I haven't changed the working version in some time but since some VS Code versions it behaves differently.

[rioj7]

@JoKre17 Looking at the source code (with grep) the string Select an instance to terminate is mentioned in

https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/blame/6b1e5513a8bab3688342b3b01de41d4a905b289f/src/vs/workbench/contrib/tasks/browser/abstractTaskService.ts#L2140

It looks like it has something to do with non-terminated tasks and tasks that have reached there instanceLimit in the runOptions of the task.

It thinks TaskA has not terminated.

Can you use the Terminal > Show Running Tasks... and Terminal > Terminate Task... menu options after running any task to see what VSC leaves cluttered around.

Or change the runOptions property of the task.

All in all it looks like a VSC issue.

In v1.71.0 I have fixed a problem with the ${index} variable, maybe you use it. (forgot to run the tests after a very small code change)

[JoKre17]

When the issue happened again today I checked if VS Code knows about any of the tasks still running but it always returned an empty list, no tasks currently running. It is as if there are ghost records of the tasks that vs code not correctly identified as exited and of course no process is running for them anymore.

Another weird thing was that VS Code did start one of the attempted tasks after a while. In those cases I usually probably just hit enter when the prompt about "Select an instance to terminate" came up.

So it seems indeed that this bug might be more with the task engine of VS Code.

Perhaps as you suggested runOptions I could change that the task can be executed multiple times in parallel to workaround the issue that I know the task is not running anymore.

I will try that probably tomorrow and if that works then I would simply close this issue and maybe it helps others who might end up having the same issue.

[rioj7]

@JoKre17 I suggest you create an issue at the VSC repo.

It is a bug that VSC reports you that you have to terminate an instance when there are no instances.

If you set

"runOptions": {
  "instancePolicy": "terminateNewest"
}

VSC already has covered its error (empty same task list) with this line of code:

this._restart(this._getTaskSystem().getLastInstance(task) ?? task);

If there is no task found with the same id it restarts the task you want to start.

They don't want to spent time finding the real cause and this workaround does the job. It probably pollutes some list but VSC will be terminated before memory runs out.