Microsoft/vscode

Git - Respect submodule names defined in superrepo's `.gitmodules` file

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#269812 opened on Oct 4, 2025

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 (1 comment) (1 reaction) (1 assignee)TypeScript (74,848 stars) (10,221 forks)batch import
feature-requestgithelp wanted

Description

In the superrepo, with the following .git/config

[core]
	repositoryformatversion = 0
	filemode = false
	bare = false
	logallrefupdates = true
	symlinks = false
	ignorecase = true
[remote "origin"]
	url = https://github.com/Gravifer/lean-mathlib-1stproj.git
	fetch = +refs/heads/*:refs/remotes/origin/*
[branch "main"]
	remote = origin
	merge = refs/heads/main
	vscode-merge-base = origin/main
[submodule "mil"]
	url = https://github.com/Gravifer/lean-comm.mathematics_in_lean.git
	active = true
[submodule "mpil"]
	url = https://github.com/leanprover-community/lean4-metaprogramming-book.git
	active = true

and .gitmodules

[submodule "mil"]
	path = LeanMathlib1stproj/mil
	url = https://github.com/Gravifer/lean-comm.mathematics_in_lean.git
[submodule "mpil"]
	path = LeanMathlib1stproj/mpil/foo
	url = https://github.com/leanprover-community/lean4-metaprogramming-book.git

The SCM panel shows the second submodule with the name foo, as it determines the name using only the submodule root dirname (impressing skimming the source code). Upon the situation where the tags have been customized, it can be more informant to use the configured tag; the behavior can be left unaltered should the tag is left auto-generated, as it would just be the relative path to the submodule root.

Contributor guide

Tech stack
typescript
Domain
developer experience
Issue type
feature
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
3
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
half day
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
blocked
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
clear
Prerequisites
Git submodulesVS Code SCM
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
45
Research direction
Investigate the Git SCM extension in VS Code to find where submodule display names are derived from the directory name. The fix should read the 'name' field from the `.gitmodules` file if present, falling back to the current behavior. Look at the extension's source code, likely in the `git` extension directory, and consult any existing tests for submodule handling. Since the issue has an assignee, it may already be in progress, so check for any linked branches or comments.