How to Install a VS Code Extension from the Command Line

Clicking through the Extensions panel is fine for one extension, but it does not reproduce. The code CLI installs extensions by id, which means you can script a full editor setup and run it on any new machine or dev container. This guide installs one, then captures your whole list.

What you need

• VS Code installed with the code command on PATH
• The id of an extension you want
• About 5 minutes

Step 1: Find the extension id

Every extension has a publisher.name id shown on its marketplace page. That id is what the CLI installs, not the display name.

Step 2: Install it from the CLI

Pass the id to the install flag. The CLI downloads and enables it without opening the panel.

Step 3: Save your full list

Export every installed extension to a file. This is the reproducible setup you can commit and re-run anywhere.

code --list-extensions > extensions.txt
# later, on a new machine:
cat extensions.txt | xargs -L1 code --install-extension

Result: extensions install from a script instead of clicks, so a fresh environment matches your working setup in seconds.