Getting started

To get started with Demo Time, you need to install the extension in Visual Studio Code. You can find the extension in the Visual Studio Code Marketplace.

You can install the extension via the following link:

Install the extension

Or you can search for “Demo Time” in the extensions panel in Visual Studio Code.

Watch the video

Watch the video to learn more about why Demo Time was created and how it can help you.

Tip

Demo Time works not only in Visual Studio Code, but also in any code editor built on top of Visual Studio Code (such as Cursor, Windsurf, GitHub Codespaces, and other VS Code derivatives).

Demo Time Terminology

Terminology reference

Demo Time uses a theatrical structure to organize your demos into manageable, narrative-driven presentations. Understanding this hierarchy will help you build more effective demos:

Play

Your entire demo project (.demo folder). Contains all the Acts and assets you need for your presentation.

Act

A single demo file (*.yml or *.json) focusing on a specific topic. You can have multiple act files to split your demos into logical sections.

Scene

A single demo section that contains one or more moves. Scenes help you group related actions together.

Moves

Individual steps inside a Scene that execute in order to perform a clear action, such as:

• Move 1: Show text introduction
• Move 2: Open code file
• Move 3: Highlight code block

Tip

The hierarchical structure Play → Act → Scene → Move makes it easy to organize complex demos into manageable, narrative-driven presentations that are easier to build and follow.

Initialize the extension

Once you have installed the extension, it is time to initialize it in your project where you want to use it. You can do this by opening the Demo Time panel in Visual Studio Code. There should be a Demo Time view available in which you find the Initialize button.

Once you clicked on the Initialize button, the extension asks you if you want to start with a sample act file or create an empty act file. You can choose either option.

Tip

You can change the demo.json filename to any other name you prefer. The extension will still recognize it.

You can also create multiple files if you want to split your demos.

Typical flow of a Demo Time session

1. Script your moves (in one or more act files)
2. Mix code walkthroughs with slides — all in VS Code (if you want or use PowerPoint, Keynote, etc. for your slides)
3. Test out the flow
4. Use presentation mode to automatically advance (vs clicking manually) with the keyboard shortcuts (→) or right arrow on your clicker
5. Stay focused while Demo Time handles the flow

How moves work

Each act file can contain multiple scenes, and each scene can have multiple moves. When you trigger a scene, all its moves will run one after another, automatically and in sequence. This is useful for automating multi-step tasks—such as creating a file, adding content, and highlighting code—all within a single scene.

Another example: open GitHub Copilot chat, send a message, and trigger the Enter key as a single, seamless flow.

Think like a presenter, not just a developer

Demo Time works best when you think of your presentation as a journey:

• What do you want the audience to feel or understand?
• Where should you pause, explain, highlight, or run code?
• What steps are essential vs supporting?