You must have done File -> Preferences... -> Additional board manager URL -> OK, and clicked Tools -> Board -> Board manager... -> esp32 by Espressif Systems -> Install.
And that's like, I think installing VSCode itself can be more scary, so...
Yup, youre right I remember that
If youbuse PlatformIO everthing Just Works out of the box. Acquiring board files and such is handled behind the scenes