Why does "icon" requires "repository" in extension manifest (package.json)?

Question

I'm preparing an extension to Visual Studio Code. When I specify the path to the icon in package.json, but don't specify "repository" property (which is an optional property as far as I know), I get the following warning:

"An icon requires a repository with HTTPS protocol to be specified in this package.json."

Why does the "icon" requires "repository"? Is the icon taken from the repository, and not the package (as I would expect).

I had a look at properties description here:https://code.visualstudio.com/api/references/extension-manifest , but I didn't find the answers to my questions there.

Answer 1

This is the best I could find: Warning in package.json when specifying icon without https repository .

The apparent rationale for the warning is the assumption that the extension will be published to the Marketplace.

A few people said the icon shows despite the warning. There is also a suggested fix adding some code to your webpack.config.js file in the issue you could try.