VS Code / Cursor Node Skill
Control a VS Code or Cursor IDE remotely through the OpenClaw Node protocol.
Related
- OpenClaw Node for VS Code — The VS Code/Cursor extension you need to install (required)
- cursor-ide-agent — Combined skill with both CLI and Node paths (install this instead if you also use Cursor CLI)
- Source: github.com/xiaoyaner-home/openclaw-vscode
Prerequisites
- Extension
openclaw-node-vscodeinstalled and connected (status bar 🟢) - Node visible in
nodes status - Commands in Gateway's
allowCommandswhitelist
Invocation Pattern
nodes invoke --node "<name>" --invokeCommand "<cmd>" --invokeParamsJson '{"key":"val"}'
Both invokeTimeoutMs (Gateway internal) and timeoutMs (HTTP layer, must be larger) are required for long operations.
Timeout guide:
| Type | invokeTimeoutMs | timeoutMs |
|---|---|---|
| File/editor/lang | 15000 | 20000 |
| Git | 30000 | 35000 |
| Test | 60000 | 65000 |
| Agent plan/ask | 180000 | 185000 |
| Agent run | 300000 | 305000 |
Command Categories
| Category | Prefix | Key Commands | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| File | vscode.file.* |
read, write, edit, delete | commands/file.md |
| Directory | vscode.dir.* |
list | commands/file.md |
| Language | vscode.lang.* |
definition, references, hover, symbols, rename, codeActions, format | commands/language.md |
| Editor | vscode.editor.* |
active, openFiles, selections | commands/editor.md |
| Diagnostics | vscode.diagnostics.* |
get | commands/editor.md |
| Git | vscode.git.* |
status, diff, log, blame, stage, commit, stash | commands/git.md |
| Test | vscode.test.* |
list, run, results | commands/test-debug.md |
| Debug | vscode.debug.* |
launch, stop, breakpoint, evaluate, stackTrace, variables | commands/test-debug.md |
| Terminal | vscode.terminal.* |
run (disabled by default) | commands/terminal.md |
| Agent | vscode.agent.* |
status, run, setup (Cursor only) | commands/agent.md |
| Workspace | vscode.workspace.* |
info | commands/editor.md |
Quick Examples
Read a file
nodes invoke --node "my-vscode" --invokeCommand "vscode.file.read" --invokeParamsJson '{"path":"src/main.ts"}'
→ { content, totalLines, language }
Find all references
nodes invoke --node "my-vscode" --invokeCommand "vscode.lang.references" --invokeParamsJson '{"path":"src/main.ts","line":10,"character":5}'
→ { locations: [{ path, line, character }] }
Git status + commit
nodes invoke --node "my-vscode" --invokeCommand "vscode.git.status"
→ { branch, staged, modified, untracked, ahead, behind }
nodes invoke --node "my-vscode" --invokeCommand "vscode.git.stage" --invokeParamsJson '{"paths":["src/main.ts"]}'
nodes invoke --node "my-vscode" --invokeCommand "vscode.git.commit" --invokeParamsJson '{"message":"fix: resolve type error"}'
Delegate to Cursor Agent
nodes invoke --node "my-vscode" --invokeCommand "vscode.agent.run" --invokeParamsJson '{"prompt":"Add error handling to all API endpoints","mode":"plan"}' --invokeTimeoutMs 180000 --timeoutMs 185000
→ { output, exitCode }
Common Workflows
See references/workflows.md for detailed step-by-step workflows:
- Fix a type error
- Safe cross-file refactor
- Delegate complex task to Cursor Agent
Error Handling
| Error | Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
node command not allowed |
Not in Gateway whitelist | Add to gateway.nodes.allowCommands |
node not found |
Extension not connected | Check extension status bar |
timeout |
Operation too long | Increase both timeout params |
path traversal blocked |
Path outside workspace | Use relative paths only |
read-only mode |
Extension in read-only | Disable openclaw.readOnly setting |
Security
- All paths are relative to workspace root — absolute paths and
../blocked - Writes respect
readOnlyandconfirmWritesextension settings - Terminal disabled by default, whitelist-only when enabled
- Each device has unique Ed25519 identity, must be approved by Gateway