Menu Restructure for AKS VS Code Extension — `2.0.0` Release Plan

[Tatsinnit]

[Coming Soonl] Menu Restructure for AKS VS Code Extension — 2.0.0 Release Plan

Summary

We're shipping a restructured, role-based context menu for the AKS VS Code Extension as the new default in v2.0.0. The goal is to reduce top-level clutter, improve discoverability, and group commands around what users actually want to accomplish — develop, troubleshoot, or manage.

Users who prefer the previous experience can switch back at any time via a single top-level command: "AKS: Take me back to Classic Menu".

This issue tracks the rollout plan and gathers community feedback ahead of the 2.0.0 cut.

This relates to an already open item #1859 (which had longer FYI for the audience)

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What's Changing

Right-clicking an AKS cluster today exposes 15+ top-level commands and submenus. The restructured menu collapses these into 3 role-based groups plus 2 always-visible shortcuts:

Group	Purpose
🚀 Develop & Deploy	Kubectl, ACR attach, Draft, KAITO, Azure Service Operators
🔍 Troubleshoot & Diagnose	AKS Diagnostics, Periscope, Inspektor Gadget, Retina, network/resource/security troubleshooting
⚙️ Manage Cluster	Properties, Portal, delete, rotate cert, reconcile

Always-visible top-level: Show in Portal, Cluster Properties.

No commands are being removed — only reorganized.

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Escape Hatch — "Take me back to Classic Menu"

To make the transition friction-free, 2.0.0 ships a dedicated command:

• Command: AKS: Take me back to Classic Menu
• Where: Command Palette, and as a top-level entry on the AKS cluster context menu.
• What it does: Flips aks.simplifiedMenuStructure to false and prompts for a window reload. The classic menu is restored immediately.
• Reverse: A matching AKS: Switch to Structured Menu command restores the new default.

Both modes remain fully supported in 2.x. The setting stays user-controllable in settings.json:

"aks.simplifiedMenuStructure": true  // default in 2.0.0

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Release Plan — 2.0.0 (Major)

Why a major bump? The default user-visible menu layout changes. No command IDs, settings, or APIs are being removed — but the out-of-the-box experience is different enough that semver-major signals it clearly.

Phases

1. Preview (today, 1.7.x) — New menu available behind aks.simplifiedMenuStructure, default off. Classic menu is the default experience.
2. 2.0.0 release — Structured menu becomes the default. Classic menu stays available via the "Take me back to Classic Menu" command and the setting toggle.
3. 2.x stabilization — Both menus supported. We collect telemetry on the escape-hatch usage and feedback on discoverability.
4. Future (TBD, separate proposal) — Once classic-menu usage is sufficiently low and parity is confirmed, we'll open a follow-up issue to discuss deprecation. No date committed in this issue.

Compatibility

• Backward compatible at the API/command level. No command IDs are being removed.
• Existing keybindings, command-palette entries, and automation continue to work unchanged.
• The setting toggle and the "Take me back" command are both reversible.
• Users who pin aks.simplifiedMenuStructure: false in their settings.json will continue to see the classic menu after upgrading to 2.0.0.

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How to Try It Today (Preview on 1.7.x)

1. Open VS Code Settings → search "AKS Simplified Menu".
2. Enable Simplified Menu Structure.
3. Reload the window.
4. Right-click any AKS cluster in the Azure view.

To revert: uncheck the setting and reload (or, in 2.0.0+, run "AKS: Take me back to Classic Menu").

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What We're Looking For

Feedback that helps us finalize 2.0.0:

• Are all the commands you use regularly easy to find in the new structure?
• Does the grouping match how you think about your work (develop / troubleshoot / manage)?
• Any commands you'd move to a different group?
• Any quick actions you'd like surfaced at the top level?
• Anything that feels worse than the classic menu?
• Would you keep the new default, or immediately switch back via the escape hatch?

Please drop a comment below — even a 👍 / 👎 on the proposal is useful signal.

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Out of Scope (for this issue)

• Removing the classic menu (will be a separate proposal in a future release).
• Changes to individual command behavior.
• Webview/panel UI redesign.

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Tracking

• Branch: feat/menu-restructure
• Preview channel: 1.7.x (opt-in via setting).
• Default-on target: 2.0.0 (major release).

Thanks for trying it out and sharing feedback. 🙏

❤️ Gently FYI and cC: @danielsollondon , @bosesuneha , @tejhan, @davidgamero , @gambtho