# Bitrise VS Code plugin

The Bitrise VS Code plugin brings Remote Dev Environments into your editor. Instead of connecting to an existing session, you start from a local repository, and the plugin creates the session, clones your repository into it, and connects VS Code — so you edit, run terminals, and debug as if the code were on your own machine.

## Before you start

You need:

- A Bitrise workspace with RDE access.
- VS Code. The plugin depends on the [Remote - SSH](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=ms-vscode-remote.remote-ssh) extension, which it installs automatically.
- For private repositories, a local SSH key so the session can clone your repository.

## Installing the plugin

Install **Bitrise** from the [VS Code Marketplace](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=bitrise.bitrise), or search for `Bitrise` in the Extensions view in VS Code. After it installs, a **Bitrise** icon appears in the activity bar.

## Signing in

1. Open the **Bitrise** view from the activity bar.
1. Click **Sign in to Bitrise**. This opens your browser to authenticate.
1. Select the workspace to use. Your sessions appear once you select a workspace with RDE access.

## Opening a repository in a new session

Use **Open Repo in New Session** — the **+** in the Sessions view — to create a session from a local repository. The plugin walks you through:

1. A name for the session.
1. The local repository to open.
1. The branch to work on.
1. The stack for the machine.
1. The machine type.

The plugin then creates the session, clones your repository into it, and opens a remote VS Code window connected to the session.

:::important[Only pushed commits are cloned]

The plugin clones the pushed state of the branch you select. Local commits and uncommitted changes that you haven't pushed are not transferred to the session.

:::

## Managing sessions

The **Sessions** view lists the sessions in your workspace. From it you can:

- Open a running session in a remote window, or restore and open a terminated one.
- Stop a running session.
- Open a session in the [Bitrise RDE UI](/bitrise-rde/rde-options/bitrise-rde-ui).
- Search your sessions.

## Quick configuration

The **Configuration** view helps you set up your environment once, so new sessions are ready to use:

- **Passwordless SSH**: registers your SSH public key as a [saved input](/bitrise-rde/configuration/saved-inputs) so you connect without a password.
- **Claude Code**: saves a Claude Code credential so new sessions start with Claude Code already authenticated.
- **SSH agent forwarding**: lets a session use your local Git keys to push and pull.