Run predefined terminal commands from Explorer context menu or Command Palette.
See how it works
Keyboard Shortcut
You can trigger the command picker using:
Ctrl+Alt+'
Or open the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P) and search for Terminal Commands Runner...
Configuration
How to edit your command list:
VSCode -> File -> Preferences -> Settings
It will show the list: [Text Editor, Workbench, Window, Features, Application, Extension].
Click on "Extensions", Scroll down and click on "Terminal Commands Runner" -> Edit in Settings.Json
Or just open and edit directly the file:
C:\Users\{YOUR USERNAME}\AppData\Roaming\Code\User\Settings.Json
Now you can edit the commands you want:
"terminalCommandsRunner.commands": [
{
"command": "node {resource}",
"name": "Run File",
"auto": true
},
{
"command": "node --inspect {resource}",
"name": "Debug File",
"auto": true
},
{
"command": "npm install",
"name": "Install Dependencies",
"auto": true,
"fromRoot": true,
"group": "npm"
},
{
"command": "npm run {#opt:Choose script:start,build,test,lint}",
"name": "Run Script",
"auto": true,
"fromRoot": true,
"group": "npm"
},
{
"command": "npm run {#opt:Environment:Development=dev,Production=build,Test=test}",
"name": "Run for Environment",
"auto": true,
"fromRoot": true,
"group": "npm"
},
{
"command": "nodemon {#sym:Entry point (e.g. server.js)}",
"name": "Nodemon",
"auto": true,
"preserve": true,
"fromRoot": true,
"group": "npm"
}
]
Properties
| Property | Description |
|---|---|
| command | The text to send to the terminal. |
| auto | Whether to add a new line to the text being sent, this is normally required to run a command in the terminal. |
| preserve | Don't dispose of terminal running this command. |
| fromRoot | Open the terminal at the workspace root folder instead of the file's directory. |
| name | Name for the command. A human readable string which is rendered prominent. |
| group | Commands sharing the group name will be grouped together in the menu. |
Variables
| Variable | Description |
|---|---|
| {resource} | Name of current resource. |
| {clipboard} | Clipboard content. |
| {#sym:Label} | Prompts the user for free-text input at runtime. Label is shown as the input prompt. |
| {#opt:Label:option1,option2,...} | Shows a dropdown picker at runtime. Label is the placeholder, options are comma-separated. Each option can be display=value to show a human-friendly label while inserting a different value. |
Dropdown picker example
{
"command": "npm run {#opt:Choose script:start,build,test,lint}",
"name": "NPM Run (pick script)",
"auto": true
}
When this command runs, a dropdown appears with the options start, build, test, and lint. The selected value is inserted into the command before it is sent to the terminal.
Key/value options example
Options can use key=value syntax so the list shows a friendly label while the actual value inserted into the command is different:
{
"command": "kubectl config use-context {#opt:Environment:Production=prod-cluster,Staging=stage-cluster,Local=minikube}",
"name": "Switch K8s Context",
"auto": true
}
The dropdown shows Production, Staging, and Local, but inserts prod-cluster, stage-cluster, or minikube respectively. Plain options without = continue to work as before.