code

Open a file or directory in VS Code.

When to invoke proactively

Reach for this skill — without waiting for the user to ask — whenever you want them to physically look at or touch a file. Examples:

• You wrote or updated a draft document/spec/PRD and want the user to skim it.
• You've identified a file the user should read in full (too long to dump into the conversation, or needs their eyes, not yours).
• You need the user to hand-edit a value you can't safely set (secrets, API keys, vault-encrypted values, credentials, personal preferences).
• You just generated a config file or template that the user should customize.
• You want the user to review a diff in a specific file before you proceed.

If you're about to say "please take a look at <path>" or "please open <path> and edit X", invoke this skill instead of just naming the path.

Do not invoke when:

• You just want to cite a file location for reference (use the path:line format instead).
• You've already read the file yourself and can answer the question without the user looking.
• The user is in the middle of a different task and opening a file would derail them.

Behavior

Given the argument (file path, directory, or natural-language reference):

1. No argument or empty: Run code . to open the current working directory.

2. Looks like a filename or path (e.g. banana.txt, src/utils, package.json):

   • Use Glob to find the most logical match in the current working directory.
   • If exactly one match, run code <absolute_path>.
   • If multiple matches, pick the most relevant one based on proximity to cwd and recency. If ambiguous, ask the user to choose.
   • If no match, tell the user the file wasn't found.

3. Natural language (e.g. "this file", "the config", "open the test I was just editing"):

   • Infer the intended file or directory from the conversation context (recent tool calls, file reads/edits, discussion).
   • Once identified, resolve the path and run code <absolute_path>.
   • If you cannot determine the target, ask the user to clarify.

Rules

• Always use absolute paths when calling code.
• Never open more than one VS Code instance per invocation.
• If the resolved path is a directory, open it as a folder (code <dir>).
• If the resolved path is a file, open just that file (code <file>).
• After opening, briefly tell the user what you opened and why (one sentence) so they know what to do with it.