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Known Participant
November 3, 2023
Question

InDesign Server 18 doesn't connect with either ESTK or VSCode Extendscript extension

  • November 3, 2023
  • 2 replies
  • 343 views

Hi,

I have been trying to connect the InDesign Server to ExtendScript Tool Kit CC and Extendscript VS Code extension. But once I try to connect Extendscript Toolkit or VSCode Extendsctipt plugin to Indesign server, It does not connect and give me errors saying that Server is not running.

I did not run VSCode plugin and ESTK simultaneously (since they use same bridgetalk message queue)

Also I have no particular reason to use both tools, for my testing. Just need to connect IDS to either one of them; however I prefer VS Code since ESTK is somewhat discontinuing

 

Steps I followed are stated here

I started IDServer from these commands (Both of these commands worked for me and started the server)

  1. indesignserver -port 8470
  2. InDesignServer.com -port 8470

 

Then I tested the server by using "sampleclient" and a script file that I created; used following command.

sampleclient -host localhost:8470 C:\Users\<myusername>\Downloads\test.jsx

test.jsx content are 

 

$.writeln("Hello")

 

Prompt from server:

Thu Nov 2 20:24:54 2023 INFO [javascript] Executing Script

Prompt from sampleclient:

Script result: Script reported no errors.

 

But when I try to connet ESTK or VSCode Extendscript plugin to InDesign server I recieve following errors

Error in ESTK

Error in VSCode Extendscript plugin

 

2 replies

Stefan Rakete
Inspiring
November 7, 2025

For me this helped for InDesign Server 2025:
- start InDesign Server without a specific port number
- install the latest version of Extend Script Debugger for VS Code (currently 2.1.0)
- then add

"hostAppSpecifier": "indesignserver-20.064",
"registeredSpecifier": "indesignserver-20.0"

to you launch.json
All on Mac

Known Participant
November 5, 2023

Any Ideas?