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Managing Extensions in scode

This guide explains how to manage Visual Studio Code extensions in server-based VS Code environments launched with scode. Extensions are critical for productivity, and there are multiple ways to install them depending on your workflow.

The easiest way to install extensions for the VS Code Server is via the scode CLI from a login node:

scode ext install ms-python.python ms-toolsai.jupyter

You can use the --env option to specify the environment name (e.g., default).

To list environments or identify the current environment:

scode list

Option 2: Porting Extensions from an Existing VS Code Installation

If you already have a working VS Code installation on your local machine, you can export and re-import them to your scode environment.

Step 1: Export locally

On your local machine:

code --list-extensions > extensions.txt

An example extensions.txt file might look like this:

ms-python.python
ms-toolsai.jupyter
ms-vscode.cpptools
...

If you are using VS Code Insiders:

code-insiders --list-extensions > extensions.txt

If you need specific versions of extensions, you can use --show-versions to include extension version numbers:

code --list-extensions --show-versions > extensions.txt

Step 2: Upload to the cluster

You can manually copy the contents of extensions.txt to the Midway cluster using clipboard and nano.

Alternatively, you can also use scp to copy the extensions.txt to your home directory:

scp extensions.txt <yourusername>@midway3.rcc.uchicago.edu:~

Step 3: Installing extensions from a text file

Running this command on a login node will install all extensions listed in the file, essentially replicating your local VS Code environment.

scode ext install -f extensions.txt

Note

It is possible to create an extensions.txt manually. Extensions IDs such as ms-python.python and ms-toolsai.jupyter can be found on the VS Code Extension Marketplace.

Option 3: Install Extensions Manually via the VS Code Web UI

This method is not recommended due to its complexity, but it can work as an expedient way for installing one or two extensions on the fly.

Step 1: Download the Extension (.vsix) To Your Local Machine

From a running scode session (if you already have the VS Code Server Web UI started with scode)

  1. Open your VS Code Web UI in the browser
  2. Go to the Extensions Panel
  3. Search for the desired extension
  4. Click the "Install" button. VS Code will complain that an internet error prevented a successful installation
  5. Click "Try Downloading Manually..." to download the .VSIXPackage file to your local machine

Download VSIX from Web UI

From your local machine (If you haven't had the Web UI set up with scode)

  1. Open the VS Code application on your local machine
  2. [Optional] Connect to the Midway cluster via SSH
  3. Go to the Extensions Panel (left sidebar)
  4. Search for the desired extension (e.g., Python, Jupyter)
  5. Right-click the extension and select "Download VSIX" to save the .VSIXPackage file locally

Download VSIX

Step 2: Installing the .vsix file

Warning

VS Code saves extension files as .VSIXPackage by default. You MUST rename the extension to .vsix in lowercase to make it installable from the Web UI.

  1. Open your VS Code Web UI in the browser
  2. Rename the .VSIXPackage file extension to .vsix
  3. Go to the Extensions Panel (left sidebar)
  4. Click the three-dot menu (⋮) in the top-right corner of the panel
  5. Choose "Install from VSIX..."
  6. Click "Show Local" on the top right of the file selector
  7. Select the .vsix file from your local machine and wait for the installation to complete

Install from VSIX

Extension Compatibility

While environments and VS Code versions are decoupled, extensions are typically tightly coupled to the VS Code version they were built for. This means:

  • Extensions are compiled against specific versions of VS Code and may fail to load or behave incorrectly if used with an incompatible version.
  • If you're always serving the latest VS Code version, extensions installed with scode ext install will generally work as expected.

  • If you're serving an older VS Code version, always install extensions with:

    scode ext install --cli-version <vscode_version> <extensions>

    This ensures version alignment between the extension and the editor runtime.

  • If you are downgrading your VS Code version, it is recommended to uninstall and re-install all existing extensions before serving.

Command references

List installed extensions

scode ext list

Update all extensions

You can run the update command periodically to keep your extensions up to date:

scode ext update

Uninstall extensions

scode ext uninstall ms-python.python ms-toolsai.jupyter

Troubleshooting

  1. Extensions not appearing after installation?

    Always verify that you're working in the correct environment by running scode list. Use the --env option to explicitly target a specific environment when installing extensions or serving VS Code.

    If you installed new extensions while the VS Code server is running, you may need to run “Reload Window” from the VS Code command palette or restart the scode job for the changes to take effect.

  2. Extension compatibility issues with older VS Code versions?

    If you are serving a non-latest version of VS Code using the --version flag with scode serve-web, make sure to use a matching --cli-version when installing extensions with scode ext install.

    It's generally recommended to use the latest available version of the VS Code Server unless it is absolutely necessary to use an older version.

  3. Need more help?