VS Code / Cursor Node Skill
Control a VS Code or Cursor IDE remotely through the OpenClaw Node protocol.
Related
Prerequisites
- Extension
openclaw-node-vscode installed and connected (status bar 🟢)
- Node visible in
nodes status
- Commands in Gateway's
allowCommands whitelist
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
readOnly and confirmWrites extension settings
- Terminal disabled by default, whitelist-only when enabled
- Each device has unique Ed25519 identity, must be approved by Gateway
