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VS Code Extensions Bootstrap

Standardized VS Code extension setup for dev team. Run one script and your editor matches the rest of the team's tooling.

Quick start

Linux / macOS

chmod +x install-extensions.sh uninstall-extensions.sh
./install-extensions.sh

Windows

Easiest path — double-click or run the .bat wrapper:

install-extensions.bat

The wrapper invokes the PowerShell script with -ExecutionPolicy Bypass so you don't have to deal with execution policy or "mark of the web" errors. If you'd rather call PowerShell directly, see Troubleshooting below.

That's it — both scripts read extensions.txt, skip anything already installed, and install the rest with --force so reinstalls are idempotent.

What's in this package

File Purpose
extensions.txt Canonical list of extensions — the only file you usually edit
install-extensions.sh Installer for Linux/macOS
install-extensions.ps1 Installer for Windows
install-extensions.bat Windows wrapper that runs the .ps1 with -ExecutionPolicy Bypass
uninstall-extensions.sh Uninstaller for Linux/macOS
uninstall-extensions.ps1 Uninstaller for Windows
uninstall-extensions.bat Windows wrapper for the uninstaller

Both installers behave identically: parse the list, snapshot the currently installed extensions (with versions), and install only what's missing or out-of-version.

The extensions list

extensions.txt is plain text. One extension ID per line. Comments start with #. To pin a version, append @<version>:

ms-python.python@2024.0.1
golang.go

Without @version, the latest is installed. Pin versions when the team needs identical tooling — for example after an extension ships a regression and you want to lock everyone to the last known-good build.

Updating the list

To capture your current setup as the new baseline, on a reference machine:

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

Then trim, group, comment, and commit. Strip the @version suffix from any extension you'd rather track at "latest".

Options

Both installers and uninstallers accept the same set of flags. Long names shown for clarity; short forms work in bash.

Bash PowerShell Description
-f, --file PATH -File PATH Use a different extensions list
-c, --cmd CMD -CodeCmd CMD Use a different CLI (code-insiders, cursor, or a full path)
-n, --dry-run -DryRun Print what would happen without doing it
-h, --help Get-Help .\install-extensions.ps1 Show usage

Uninstallers add one more:

Bash PowerShell Description
-a, --all -All Uninstall every installed extension (full reset, prompts for confirmation)

Examples

Preview what would be installed without making changes:

./install-extensions.sh --dry-run
.\install-extensions.ps1 -DryRun

Use the scripts with Cursor instead of VS Code:

./install-extensions.sh --cmd cursor
.\install-extensions.ps1 -CodeCmd cursor

Remove only the team's standard extensions:

./uninstall-extensions.sh

Nuke everything for a clean reset:

./uninstall-extensions.sh --all
.\uninstall-extensions.ps1 -All

Troubleshooting

code: command not found (macOS)

Open VS Code, press Cmd+Shift+P, run Shell Command: Install 'code' command in PATH. Then restart your terminal.

code: command not found (Linux)

The code symlink is normally created by the VS Code installer. Restart your shell first; if it's still missing, check which code and verify your PATH includes /usr/bin or wherever VS Code installed.

code not on PATH (Windows)

The PowerShell installer falls back to checking these locations automatically:

  • %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\Microsoft VS Code\bin\code.cmd
  • %ProgramFiles%\Microsoft VS Code\bin\code.cmd
  • %ProgramFiles(x86)%\Microsoft VS Code\bin\code.cmd

If you installed VS Code somewhere else, pass the full path:

.\install-extensions.ps1 -CodeCmd "D:\Tools\VSCode\bin\code.cmd"

Cursor / VS Code Insiders

Pass -c cursor (bash) or -CodeCmd cursor (PowerShell). Both forks ship CLIs with the same --install-extension / --list-extensions / --uninstall-extension flags.

PowerShell: "file is not digitally signed" / execution policy errors

Windows tags downloaded files with a "mark of the web" identifier. Combined with the default RemoteSigned execution policy, that blocks unsigned downloaded scripts like ours.

The simplest fix is to run install-extensions.bat instead of install-extensions.ps1 — the wrapper passes -ExecutionPolicy Bypass to PowerShell and avoids the issue entirely.

If you'd rather invoke the .ps1 directly, you have three options:

# Cleanest: strip the download mark from this file (one-time, persists)
Unblock-File .\install-extensions.ps1
Unblock-File .\uninstall-extensions.ps1

# Or invoke PowerShell with an explicit bypass each time:
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\install-extensions.ps1

# Or relax policy for just the current PowerShell session:
Set-ExecutionPolicy -Scope Process -ExecutionPolicy Bypass

Avoid changing execution policy at the machine or user scope just for this — the per-process or per-file approach keeps your security posture intact.

An extension fails to install

Run with --dry-run to confirm the ID is correct. Extension IDs are case-insensitive but must match the publisher exactly (ms-python.python, not python.python). The marketplace page shows the ID under "More Info → Identifier".

Project-specific recommendations

For extensions that should only be suggested when a developer opens a particular repo, use VS Code's built-in mechanism instead of these scripts. Drop a .vscode/extensions.json in the repo root:

{
  "recommendations": [
    "publisher.extension-id"
  ]
}

VS Code prompts contributors to install them on workspace open. That's the right tool for repo-scoped tooling; this package is for the global team baseline.