Feature Request: Respect metered network connections on Linux (NetworkManager)
@dmitrivMS is already working on this.
Since Jun 14, 2026.
Assessment
This issue has not been assessed yet.
Description
Feature Request: Respect metered network connections on Linux (NetworkManager)
Problem
VS Code performs automatic update checks and extension update downloads regardless of whether the active network connection is marked as metered. On Linux, NetworkManager exposes this information system-wide via connection.metered, which applications are expected to respect to reduce background network activity on limited connections (mobile hotspots, tethered phones, satellite links, expensive roaming).
VS Code does not detect or respect this setting. In my opinion, the Auto-Update should be disabled when on an metered network.
Expected Behavior
When the active connection is metered, VS Code should:
- suspend automatic update downloads, or
- offer a setting to disable update activity on metered connections
The auto check for new updates should be still possible, because it should not use huge amount of data.
This should apply to VS Code application updates, extension update checks, and extension auto-downloads.
Linux Integration
NetworkManager exposes the metered status via:
nmcli connection show <connection-name> | grep connection.metered
Values: yes, no, unknown. GNOME, KDE, Manjaro, Ubuntu, and Fedora all surface this in their network settings UI.
Suggested Implementation
Detect connection.metered on Linux and pause background update activity automatically. Alternatively, expose a user setting:
"update.respectMeteredConnections": true
- Dominant language
- TypeScript
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- 193k
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