Live Server Plus for Sublime Text

A lightweight development server with WebSocket‑based live reload.

Installation

Package Control (recommended)

1. Open the Command Palette: Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + P
   
2. Select Package Control: Install Package
   
3. Search for “LiveServerPlus” and install.

Manual

1. Download or clone this repository.
   
2. In Sublime Text, choose Preferences ▸ Browse Packages…
   
3. Copy the folder into the Packages directory and name it LiveServerPlus.

Usage

Open a file, folder or workspace (File ▸ Open Folder) first.

Main menu

Tools ▸ Live Server Plus:

Command Palette

Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + P → type:

• Live Server Plus: Start Server
  
• Live Server Plus: Stop Server
  
• Live Server Plus: Open in Browser
  
• Live Server Plus: Show Mobile QR Code
  
• Live Server Plus: Enable Live Reload
  
• Live Server Plus: Disable Live Reload
  
• Live Server Plus: Change Port…
  
• Live Server Plus: Settings

Example workflow

1. Open your project folder.
   
2. Run Live Server Plus: Start Server.
   
3. Edit and save—your browser refreshes automatically.

Features

• Instant reload on file changes; optional CSS-only injection. Enable Sublime-only mode when you want immediate reloads on save, or leave it disabled to monitor external tools via Watchdog.
  
• GitHub-style Markdown preview with live scroll sync—defaults to editor→browser, switch to “sync” for two-way or false to disable.
  
• Mobile preview: scan a QR code to open the site on any device.
  
• Port selection: choose a port at startup or set "port": 0 for a free one.
  
• Automatic watcher fallback: native watchers for performance, seamless polling fallback when macOS hits the file-descriptor limit.
  
• Runs in Sublime’s bundled Python—no external runtime required.

Optional key bindings

[
    { "keys": ["alt+shift+s"], "command": "live_server_start" },
    { "keys": ["alt+shift+o"], "command": "open_current_file_live_server" },
    { "keys": ["alt+shift+x"], "command": "live_server_stop" }
]

Settings quick reference

// LiveServerPlus.sublime-settings (user)
{
    "customBrowser": "",
    "openBrowser": true,
    "showInfoMessages": true,
    "verifyTags": true,
    "fullReload": false,
    "liveReload": false,
    "host": "127.0.0.1",
    // WARNING: use "0.0.0.0" only on trusted networks; it exposes the server to your LAN.
    "maxThreads": 64,
    "maxWatchedDirs": 50,
    "renderMarkdownPreview": true,
    "markdownScrollSync": "editor", // "editor", "sync", or false
    "ignoreFiles": ["**/node_modules/**", "**/.git/**", "**/__pycache__/**"],
    "logging": false,
    "port": 5500,
    "showOnStatusbar": true,
    "useLocalIp": false,
    "useWebExt": false,
    "wait": 100
}

Restart the server after changing settings.

Security note: Binding the server to 0.0.0.0 exposes it to every device on your local network. Only use that host value on trusted networks.

Requirements

• Sublime Text 4 (Build ≥ 4152)
  
• Browser with WebSocket support (Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari)

Known limitations

• Watchdog mode watches up to 50 directories; adjust ignore globs or reduce scope for very large projects. When Live Reload is enabled, only saves inside Sublime trigger refreshes.

Contributing

Contributions welcome! Issues and pull requests are welcome.

Vendored dependencies

• Watchdog – filesystem events
  
• PyQRCode and pypng – QR generation
• markdown2 – Markdown → HTML conversion

All vendored under liveserverplus_lib/vendor/.

Support

Report bugs/issues on GitHub: https://github.com/ifrederico/sublime-liveserverplus/issues

License

MIT