Application builder is available in the explorer and the aws toolkit view

[jpinkney-aws]

Problem

Application builder is available in the explorer and we've gotten complaints about this. I don't think its intended to be there and instead should just live in the aws toolkit

Steps to reproduce the issue

1. Open explorer
2. View that you have application builder
   • If you don't see this then you might have to click the three ellipses (...) at the top of the explorer panel and uncheck application builder

Expected behavior

Only show application builder in aws toolkit not the explorer

System details (run AWS: About and/or Amazon Q: About)

OS: Darwin arm64 24.2.0
Visual Studio Code extension host: 1.97.1
Amazon Q: 1.48.0-FALCON
node: 20.18.1
electron: 32.2.7

[seshubaws]

Hi Josh! This was a deliberate design choice to ensure the AppBuilder is visible alongside the customer's current workspace. Since the AppBuilder provides a view into the active working project, we wanted it accessible outside the Toolkit extension, which is primarily focused on displaying cloud resources rather than the local workspace. If customers find the AppBuilder section is intrusive in the main Explorer view, they can easily remove it by right-clicking the section header and selecting "Hide Application Builder".

[ddouglas]

How do I prevent the Application Builder from hijacking the sidebar when I open a new session? I'd like my File Explorer to be the default panel selected but with the AWS Toolkit Extension enabled, it's the Explorer: Application Builder. Video attached.

Screen.Recording.2025-02-19.at.5.47.28.PM.mov

Edit:
I have everything related to this disabled as well. The application build icon is hidden, I have all the surpress checkboxs checked, nothing i even disabled the open extension walkthrough setting in VSCode that launches an newly installed extensions walkthrough

[valerena]

It's interesting @ddouglas that the Application Builder in your case appears as its own section on the left bar (and it shouldn't). That looks like what happens if you dragged that section from the Panel towards the left in the past. However, it's also weird that it disappears once you click to go to the explorer panel.

I would recommend to open VSCode, and then right click on the left side icon for the Application Builder panel (the pair of files, similar to the Explorer icon), you should have a context menu where you can select what's visible there, with an option to hide that particular Application Builder panel. I wonder if that helps with your situation.