A command-line interface that allows AI agents to programmatically control Visual Studio Code, manage extensions, and organize workspaces.
Install & Download
1. ClawHub CLI
The fastest way to install a skill directly from the registry.
npx clawhub@latest install cli-vscode
2. Manual Installation
Copy the skill folder to one of these locations
~/.openclaw/skills/ <project>/skills/ Priority: Workspace > Local > Bundled
3. Prompt Installation
Copy this prompt to OpenClaw to install it automatically.
Help me install cli-vscode using Clawhub. If Clawhub is not installed, install it first (npm i -g clawhub).
Prefer to download?
Get the raw skill files in a ZIP archive.
What is CLI-VSCode?
CLI-VSCode acts as a sophisticated wrapper around the Visual Studio Code command-line tool, enabling AI agents to interact directly with the IDE. By providing a structured JSON interface, it allows developers to build automated workflows that go beyond simple text editing. This tool is a core component for users leveraging Openclaw Skills to create autonomous coding assistants that can prepare their own environment, install necessary dependencies, and manage the project structure without manual intervention.
CLI-VSCode Use Cases
- Automatically configuring a developer environment by installing required VSCode extensions for a specific stack.
- Enabling an AI agent to open relevant source files for a developer during a guided code review.
- Dynamically managing multi-root workspaces in VSCode based on project requirements.
- Verifying the presence and version of the local IDE before starting a complex automation sequence.
- Integrating IDE lifecycle management into broader Openclaw Skills based development pipelines.
How CLI-VSCode Works
- The AI agent sends a command to the cli-vscode script with specific parameters like a file path or extension ID.
- The script identifies the system's VSCode installation through the code command available in the PATH.
- For management tasks, it executes shell commands to open files or add folders to the current workspace.
- For information retrieval, it captures the raw output from VSCode and parses it into a structured JSON format.
- The tool returns the structured data to the agent, facilitating the next step in the Openclaw Skills operational logic.
CLI-VSCode Setup
Ensure that Visual Studio Code is installed on your system and that the code command-line tool is accessible.
macOS
Open VSCode, press Cmd+Shift+P, type "Shell Command: Install 'code' command in PATH" and select it.
Windows
Ensure the "Add to PATH" option was selected during the initial installation of VSCode.
Linux
Create a symbolic link to ensure the binary is in your execution path:
sudo ln -s /usr/share/code/bin/code /usr/local/bin/code
CLI-VSCode Data Schema & Taxonomy
The skill provides structured output specifically optimized for Openclaw Skills integration.
| Command | JSON Key | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
list-extensions |
extensions |
Returns an array of strings representing unique extension IDs. |
status |
installed, version |
Provides environment metadata including installation status and VSCode version. |
Example status output:
{
"installed": true,
"version": "1.88.0"
}
CLI-VSCode Advanced Features
- Support for the
--jsonflag across all queries to ensure machine-readable responses for agents. - Workspace folder manipulation allowing for dynamic multi-folder project orchestration.
- Extension management allowing for the programmatic installation of tools like Prettier or Language Servers.
- Seamless configuration as a CLI-type skill within the Openclaw Skills ecosystem using simple YAML definitions.
SKILL.md
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