Automatically load `.sublime-project` when opening a folder

[pavelrevak]

Problem description

Hi, I’d like to propose a small but very useful improvement to the project workflow in Sublime Text.

Feature request

When a user opens a folder in Sublime Text (via File → Open Folder… or using subl ), Sublime should automatically detect if the folder contains a .sublime-project file (or optionally a dedicated metadata folder like .sublime/) and load that project automatically, instead of opening the folder as an anonymous window.

Why this is useful

Many editors and IDEs (e.g., VS Code, JetBrains IDEs) automatically load the project configuration when a folder is opened. This gives users a consistent environment without requiring an explicit “Open Project” action - especially useful when switching frequently between multiple repositories.

For Sublime Text users, this would mean:

• automatic loading of project-specific settings
• automatic loading of build systems defined in the project
• consistent behavior when opening folders from the command line
• no need to manually open the *.sublime-project file each time
• easy tracking and sharing this file in VCS

Preferred solution

Suggested behavior

1. User opens a folder.
2. Sublime checks whether a .sublime-project file exists in the root of that folder.
3. If yes, Sublime loads that project instead of opening an anonymous window.

if in automatically loaded project has multiple folders, also all these folders will be opened, but ignores .sublime-project in their folders

Optional preference

Some users may prefer the current behavior, so this could be enabled/disabled via a setting, e.g.:

"auto_load_project_from_folder": true

Alternatives

instead single .sublime-project file there can be folder .sublime with files line project, workspace, ...

Additional Information

This functionality would streamline project switching and make Sublime more convenient in multi-project workflows, especially for developers who primarily use the command line or open entire repositories at a time.

Thanks for considering the addition!

[deathaxe]

This functionality is provided by AutoProjects plugin.