VS Code commands and keyboard shortcuts

This reference collects the VS Code commands and shortcuts a data creator uses daily. Shortcuts are given for macOS; Linux and Windows shortcuts are identical except Cmd → Ctrl unless noted.

The code CLI

VS Code installs a code shim that controls the running editor from a terminal.

Setup

On macOS, run Shell Command: Install 'code' command in PATH from the command palette once. On Linux and Windows, the installer adds code to PATH by default.

Common invocations

code .                              # open the current directory
code file.py                        # open a single file
code file.py:42:5                   # open file.py at line 42, column 5
code --new-window .                 # open in a new window
code --reuse-window file.py         # reuse the current window
code --diff a.json b.json           # open VS Code's diff viewer
code --wait commit_msg.txt          # block until the editor is closed

Extension management

code --list-extensions              # list installed extensions
code --install-extension <id>       # install by ID
code --install-extension <id>@<ver> # install a pinned version
code --uninstall-extension <id>     # remove
code --disable-extensions           # launch with all extensions disabled (for debugging)

Other flags

code --goto <file>:<line>:<col>     # open and jump to a location
code --add <path>                   # add a folder to the current workspace
code --version                      # print version and commit
code --verbose                      # verbose launch logs (for debugging)
code --user-data-dir <path>         # use a separate user data dir (for isolated testing)

The command palette

Cmd+Shift+P opens the command palette. Every VS Code action is reachable from here; most engineers discover new features by typing the first word of what they want.

Useful prefixes in the palette:

• > — the default, shows commands.
• : — go to line number (same as Cmd+G).
• @ — go to symbol in file (same as Cmd+Shift+O).
• @: — go to symbol grouped by kind.
• # — go to symbol in workspace (same as Cmd+T).
• ? — show help.

Commands worth memorizing

Navigation shortcuts

Editing shortcuts

Terminal shortcuts

Debugger shortcuts

Test Explorer shortcuts

Git shortcuts

Tasks

VS Code's Tasks run shell commands as first-class actions: they have names, keybindings, and output panels. Configure them in .vscode/tasks.json:

{
  "version": "2.0.0",
  "tasks": [
    {
      "label": "dbt: build modified+",
      "type": "shell",
      "command": "dbt build --select state:modified+ --defer --state target/",
      "group": { "kind": "build", "isDefault": true },
      "presentation": { "reveal": "always", "panel": "dedicated" }
    },
    {
      "label": "astro: restart",
      "type": "shell",
      "command": "astro dev restart",
      "presentation": { "reveal": "always" }
    },
    {
      "label": "databricks: deploy dev",
      "type": "shell",
      "command": "databricks bundle deploy --target dev",
      "presentation": { "reveal": "always" }
    },
    {
      "label": "ruff: fix all",
      "type": "shell",
      "command": "ruff check --fix .",
      "problemMatcher": "$ruff"
    }
  ]
}

Run a task with Tasks: Run Task from the palette, or bind the default build task to Cmd+Shift+B:

// keybindings.json
{ "key": "cmd+shift+b", "command": "workbench.action.tasks.build" }

Bind any specific task to a shortcut:

{
  "key": "cmd+alt+d",
  "command": "workbench.action.tasks.runTask",
  "args": "dbt: build modified+"
}

Tasks worth defining

For data-creator projects, the high-leverage tasks are:

• dbt build --select state:modified+ --defer
• dbt test --select state:modified+
• dbt docs generate && dbt docs serve
• astro dev restart
• astro dev run dags test <dag_id>
• databricks bundle deploy --target dev
• databricks bundle run <job_name> --target dev
• ruff check --fix .
• sqlfluff fix models/
• pre-commit run --all-files

Keybinding customization

Open Preferences: Open Keyboard Shortcuts (Cmd+K Cmd+S) to browse and rebind. The UI writes to keybindings.json in your user config. Keybindings can be conditional via the when clause — the shortcut only activates in the stated context:

[
  {
    "key": "cmd+r cmd+d",
    "command": "databricks.runFileAsWorkflow",
    "when": "resourceExtname == .py"
  }
]

Settings reveals

Skip the UI and edit JSON directly with:

• Preferences: Open User Settings (JSON) — user config, synced via Settings Sync.
• Preferences: Open Workspace Settings (JSON) — .vscode/settings.json, committed to the repo.
• Preferences: Open Remote Settings (JSON) — settings scoped to the current remote/devcontainer.

Productivity patterns

• Never leave home row. Every mouse trip costs a quarter-second of focus. The shortcuts above cover 95% of daily actions.
• Palette-first discovery. When you do not know the shortcut, open the palette and search by name. The palette shows the bound shortcut so you learn it.
• Tasks for recurrences. If you run the same command three times a day, make it a Task.
• Keep user and workspace settings separate. User = personal. Workspace = team-shared.

See also

• Settings reference — full settings.json, launch.json, and tasks.json recipes.
• Debugging — the launch configs the debugger shortcuts apply to.
• Inner loop — the per-stack cadences these shortcuts support.