Multiple instances of Theia breaks VScode extensions with webview.

Description

Contributor guide

Tech stack

typescriptelectron

Domain

desktopfrontend

Issue type

bug

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.

1-2 days

Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.

stale

ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.

mostly clear

Prerequisites

Understanding of Theia's webview implementationFamiliarity with Electron multi instance behaviour

Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.

25

Research direction

Investigate how Theia manages webview instances, especially in the context of multiple Electron windows. Look at the extension host and webview registration logic in the Theia source code, starting with packages/plugin ext/src/main/browser/webview/. Determine if there is a singleton or global state that prevents the second instance from rendering webviews. Check if the issue is related to the webview preload script or backend communication.