terminal-code Runs a Full VS Code Inside a Terminal

My notes

Summary

terminal-code (CLI command tode) runs a full VS Code editing experience inside a terminal by combining code-server (VS Code in the browser) with a terminal-based browser renderer. It installs via a one-line curl script and supports opening folders and files, SSH remote editing, diffing, line and column jumps, and importing settings from other VS Code-compatible editors.

Key Insight

• Architecture is a composition of two existing open-source projects rather than a rebuilt editor: code-server (browser-based VS Code) piped through terminal-browser (a browser rendered inside a terminal). Both components and terminal-code itself are open source.
• Supports SSH-native editing (tode --ssh <args>), meaning full VS Code UI and extensions can run against a remote server without a local GUI or forwarded display, useful for headless boxes, a VPS, or dev containers accessed only over SSH.
• Has a migration path for switching from desktop VS Code, Cursor, or other VS Code forks: tode --import pulls settings, keybindings, snippets, and extensions from any VS Code-compatible editor, lowering the switching cost to zero manual reconfiguration.
• Ships terminal-specific ergonomics most editors lack: --split right for pane-based terminal workflows, --shortcut-setup to auto-resolve keybinding conflicts between the editor and the host terminal emulator, and --goto file:line:col for jumping straight into a location from scripts or error output.
• --review opens directly on the source-control panel, a shortcut aimed at code-review workflows without touching the file tree first.