Configuring VS Code Extensions

Once your administrator has created a VS Code extensions (VSX) repository in Posit Package Manager, you can configure Positron or other VS Code-compatible editors to use it as the extensions gallery (the marketplace where extensions are browsed and installed).

Note

If you are using Positron Pro or VS Code from Posit Workbench, your administrator may have already configured the extensions gallery for all sessions. See Configuring Posit Workbench for more information.

HTTPS Requirements

VS Code-compatible editors, including Positron, require HTTPS with a valid, trusted TLS certificate for the extensions gallery. HTTP URLs and HTTPS URLs with untrusted certificates will not work. Contact your administrator if your Package Manager instance uses HTTP or a self-signed certificate.

Positron

To configure standalone Positron to use a Package Manager extensions gallery, set the EXTENSIONS_GALLERY environment variable before launching Positron:

Terminal
export EXTENSIONS_GALLERY='{"serviceUrl":"https://packagemanager.example.com/openvsx/latest/vscode/gallery","itemUrl":"https://packagemanager.example.com/openvsx/latest/vscode/item"}'

Replace packagemanager.example.com and openvsx with your Package Manager server address and repository name. The exact values are available on the Setup page of your VSX repository.

To persist this configuration, add the export command to your shell profile (e.g., ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc).

Note

To use a date-based snapshot instead of the latest extensions, replace latest in the URLs with the desired snapshot date (e.g., 2026-03-18). See Open VSX Snapshots for more information.

Posit Workbench

If you are using Positron Pro or VS Code sessions from Posit Workbench, your administrator can configure the extensions gallery for all users. See Configuring Posit Workbench for details.

Other VS Code-compatible editors

For other VS Code-compatible editors, use the following URLs to configure the extensions gallery. Refer to your editor’s documentation for the specific configuration method.

  • Service URL: https://[package-manager-address]/[repo-name]/latest/vscode/gallery
  • Item URL: https://[package-manager-address]/[repo-name]/latest/vscode/item
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