Remote extension host timeout + command gitlens.views.createBranch not found after Chinese language pack update

[Clownier]

Environment

• VSCode version: 1.96.4 (cannot upgrade due to legacy remote server)
• GitLens version: latest (reinstalled several times)
• OS (local): Windows 11
• OS (remote): CentOS 7 (glibc 2.17)
• Remote connection: SSH
• Other installed extensions: ms-vscode.cpptools, ms-python.python, ms-python.debugpy (issue persists even after disabling them)

Problem

After updating the Chinese (Simplified) Language Pack (vscode-language-pack-zh-hans) to the latest version (updated on the morning of 2026-06-12), I started seeing the following errors when connecting to my remote server via SSH:
[error] The remote extension host took longer than 60s to send its ready message.
[error] Error received from starting extension host (kind: Remote)

And when I tried to run any GitLens command (e.g., gitlens.views.createBranch), I got:
command 'gitlens.views.createBranch' not found

Investigation

1. I tried the usual troubleshooting steps:

   • Reinstalling GitLens
   • Disabling all other extensions (C++, Python, etc.)
   • Removing ~/.vscode-server on remote and reconnecting
   • Running with code --disable-extensions (this worked – no timeout)

2. The issue only appeared after the Chinese language pack was auto‑updated that morning.

3. I found a related VS Code issue: #179371 – which describes remote extension host timeout caused by the Chinese language pack.

4. After uninstalling the Chinese language pack, the problem was completely resolved:

   • Remote extension host starts within seconds
   • All GitLens commands (including gitlens.views.createBranch) are available again

Root cause (suspected)

The latest version of the Chinese language pack introduces an incompatibility with VSCode 1.96.4 (or with older remote server environments), causing the remote extension host to hang during initialization. This prevents any extension (including GitLens) from registering its commands properly.

Steps to reproduce

1. Use VSCode 1.96.4 (or possibly any version that is not the very latest)
2. Connect to a remote server via SSH (any Linux distribution – CentOS 7 / Ubuntu 16.04 might be more likely)
3. Have the latest Chinese (Simplified) language pack installed and active
4. Observe remote extension host timeout after ~60 seconds
5. Any GitLens command fails with command not found

Temporary workaround

• Uninstall the Chinese language pack, or
• Roll back to an older version of the language pack (e.g., one from a month ago)

Request

Please investigate the compatibility issue between the latest Chinese language pack and GitLens (or the remote extension host mechanism). It’s likely not a GitLens bug, but a problem with the language pack affecting extension host startup. However, since GitLens users are impacted, it would be great to:

• Document this known conflict in the FAQ, or
• Help report upstream to the VS Code team.

Thank you for your great work!

[Clownier]

I noticed that the timing of the issue coincides exactly with an update to the Chinese language pack. The version that was installed when the problem started occurring is 1.124.2026061202 (released on 2026-06-12).