VS Code Sessions

There are two ways to use VS Code on a compute resource. Both run on the resource itself, so your code, data, and processes stay on the cluster:

Method	Where it runs	Where you use it	Best for
VS Code session	VS Code server on the resource	Your web browser	Editing and running code with zero local setup
`pw vscode`	Your local VS Code app	Your computer	Working in your own VS Code — with all your extensions and settings — connected over SSH

Looking for a graphical desktop instead? See Desktop Sessions.

The resource must be running

A resource (a compute cluster or your user workspace) must be running before you can launch a VS Code session on it.

VS Code in the browser

A VS Code session runs a VS Code server on the resource and opens it in your browser, so there's nothing to install on your computer.

Launch from a cluster (Quick Launch)

Open your cluster and find the Quick Launch panel (Open this cluster in your browser).
On the VS Code card, click Launch.
(Optional) Set a Directory to open — for example ~/projects. Leave it blank to open your home directory.
Click Launch.

Launch from the Sessions page

Go to Sessions and click New Session.
Choose VS Code as the session type.
Pick the Target resource (a compute cluster or your user workspace).
(Optional) Set a Directory and a Name.
Click Launch.

ACTIVATE installs and starts the VS Code server on the resource — you'll see the status move through installing → starting → running. Once it's running, VS Code opens in an embedded view on the session page. Click Open in new tab for a full-window editor.

VS Code sessions work on both compute clusters and your user workspace. For lightweight editing, the user workspace is a quick option that doesn't require starting a cluster.

Connect your local VS Code with `pw vscode`

If you'd rather work in the VS Code app already installed on your computer — with your own keybindings, themes, and extensions — use the pw vscode command. It connects your local VS Code to the resource using VS Code's Remote-SSH extension, with the connection routed securely through ACTIVATE.

Prerequisites

The PW CLI installed and authenticated. See About the PW CLI.
VS Code installed locally with the code command on your PATH. In VS Code, open the command palette (Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+P) and run Shell Command: Install 'code' command in PATH.
The Remote-SSH extension installed in VS Code.

Usage

# Open VS Code on a resource
pw vscode my-cluster
 
# Open a specific directory
pw vscode my-cluster /home/user/project
 
# Open VS Code on another user's resource
pw vscode pw://otheruser/their-cluster

When you run the command, the PW CLI:

Registers your SSH key with the platform (if it isn't already).
Writes an SSH host entry to ~/.ssh/pw_config (included from your ~/.ssh/config) that proxies the connection through ACTIVATE.
Launches VS Code and connects it to the resource via Remote-SSH, opening the directory you specified — or your home directory by default.

See the pw vscode command reference for the full list of arguments.

Which should I use?

Use a VS Code session when you want zero local setup — everything runs in the browser.
Use pw vscode when you want your own local VS Code, extensions, and settings, connected to the resource.