---
name: vs-code
description: Operate Visual Studio Code as an agent using public APIs, CLIs, and docs. Twin Score agent 80.
---

# Visual Studio Code skill

Visual Studio Code is the world's default editor: free, extensible, and fast enough. The human surface is the workbench plus the marketplace. The agent surface is the extension API, language server protocol, and tasks/debug adapters — machines already drive VS Code via those seams. It is not a hosted SaaS with a tenant API, so the agent Twin Score measures extensibility rather than REST completeness. Twin Score on this directory is 93 for humans and 80 for agents, using the public rubric (interface, onboarding, human docs, collaboration, support, pricing fairness, accessibility, reliability versus API quality, MCP or tool surface, CLI, structured docs, machine auth, quotas, determinism, and skill packaging). Visual Studio Code is sold by Microsoft, founded 2015, headquartered in Redmond, USA. Pricing in public materials: Free and open source (MIT) editor; optional Microsoft account for Settings Sync. Machine capabilities we record: API strong, MCP basic, CLI excellent, docs excellent, auth Optional Microsoft/GitHub login; extension APIs. This page is editorial, not a star rating scraped from users.

## When to use

Use this skill when a user asks to integrate, script, or evaluate Visual Studio Code (Microsoft).

## When not to use

Do not claim an MCP server exists unless the capability matrix says so (current MCP level: basic). Do not invent user-count ratings.

## Capability matrix

| Surface | Level |
|---|---|
| API | strong |
| MCP | basic |
| CLI | excellent |
| Docs | excellent |
| Auth | Optional Microsoft/GitHub login; extension APIs |
| Webhooks | strong |
| SDKs | typescript |

## Auth

Optional Microsoft/GitHub login; extension APIs

## Pricing (public)

Free and open source (MIT) editor; optional Microsoft account for Settings Sync.

## Official site

https://code.visualstudio.com

## Twin Score

Human 93. Agent 80. Updated 2026-08-01. Rubric: https://buildsomethingagentswant.com/scorecard

## Alternatives

- cursor
- replit