Does VS Code install some extensions automatically? - visual-studio-code

Question

I noticed that I have many extensions installed that I don't recall manually installing, e.g. isort, jupiter cell tags, etc.
I only installed the "python" and "jupyter notebooks" extensions myself. Those others seem to be installed later without my knowledge.
Does VS Code install extensions automatically somehow?

Answer 1

To answer the general question
Yes, VS Code does come with some extensions installed "out-of-box". It calls those extensions "Built-In" extensions. If you open the extension page of one of those extensions, it will say:
Notice: This extension is bundled with Visual Studio Code. It can be disabled but not uninstalled.
One example of this is the vscode.typescript-language-features extension. You can get a list of all running with the Developer: Show Running Extensions command. It's kind of hard to find them otherwise, since they don't normally show up in the extensions sidebar.
In your particular case, you misunderstood something
The Python and Jupyter extensions you installed are extension packs. They include isort and Jupyter Cell Tags (as well as others).
You can see for yourself.
https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=ms-python.python:
The Python extension will automatically install the Pylance, Jupyter and isort extensions to give you the best experience when working with Python files and Jupyter notebooks.
https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=ms-toolsai.jupyter:
The Jupyter Extension will automatically install the following extensions by default to provide enhanced Jupyter notebook experiences in VS Code.
Jupyter Keymap - to provide Jupyter-consistent keymaps
Jupyter Notebook Renderers - to provide renderers for MIME types such as latex, plotly, vega, etc.
Jupyter Cell Tags and Jupyter Slide Show - to provide the ability to tag cells in notebooks and support for presentations