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Install the CodeRabbit VS Code extension to review code changes directly in your editor. For more information about using the extension, see Review local changes.
These instructions are specific to VS Code. If you’re using a VS Code-compatible editor like Cursor or Windsurf, the steps are similar but may require some adaptation.

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Before you begin

Before you can use the CodeRabbit VS Code extension, you need a CodeRabbit account.
Don’t have an account yet? Create one by visiting the CodeRabbit login page.

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Install the extension

1

Open Extensions

In the editor activity bar, click Extensions.
2

Search for CodeRabbit

In the sidebar, type coderabbit into the Search Extensions in Marketplace search bar. CodeRabbit will appear as a search result.
3

Select the extension

Select CodeRabbit. A summary of the CodeRabbit VS Code extension appears in the main pane with installation controls.
4

Configure auto-update (optional)

If you want your editor to automatically check for and apply future updates to the extension, keep the Auto Update checkbox selected. Otherwise, clear the checkbox.
5

Install the extension

Click Install.
6

Log in to CodeRabbit

A Log in to CodeRabbit to get started dialog appears. Click Login.
  1. Click the CodeRabbit icon in the VS Code activity bar
  2. Click the Use CodeRabbit for Free button
7

Grant browser permission

Grant VS Code permission to open your browser, if asked.
8

Complete authentication

In your web browser, log into your CodeRabbit account.
9

Handle redirect (if needed)

After signing in, the browser will redirect you back to VS Code. Enterprise SSO users in workspaces with multiple CodeRabbit organizations, multiple Git providers such as GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket, or self-hosted provider instances may first be prompted to choose a Git provider and CodeRabbit organization; single-organization, single-provider sign-ins continue to redirect directly. If the redirect doesn’t occur:
  1. Copy the code displayed in the success window
  2. Click Paste code from browser in VS Code
  3. Paste the code into the input field that appears
This connects your CodeRabbit account with the CodeRabbit VS Code extension.

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Install using the marketplace website

If you’re using the VS Code IDE (not a derived IDE like Cursor or Windsurf), you can alternatively install the CodeRabbit extension by visiting the extension’s page on the Visual Studio Marketplace.
If you install the extension this way, you still need to connect your CodeRabbit account to the extension after installing it, as described in the previous section.

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Install in a cloud or remote IDE

Cloud and remote development environments such as Brev, GitHub Codespaces, and Gitpod run VS Code in an ephemeral container. VS Code extensions are not persisted across instance restarts by default, so you need to reinstall the CodeRabbit extension each time you start a new instance unless you configure your environment to preserve it.

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Install per session

Follow the same steps as the standard installation above. The extension is available for the lifetime of that instance.

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Persist the extension across sessions

To avoid reinstalling on every new instance, add the CodeRabbit extension to your environment’s configuration so it installs automatically when a new instance starts. Using devcontainer.json (GitHub Codespaces and compatible environments): Add the CodeRabbit extension ID to the extensions array: Using Brev:
.devcontainer/devcontainer.json
In your Brev workspace definition, add coderabbitai.coderabbit-vscode to the list of VS Code extensions to pre-install. Refer to the Brev documentation for the specific configuration field.
Some cloud development environments route traffic through a proxy that strips WebSocket control frames. If the CodeRabbit extension gets stuck at Setting up for more than a few minutes in a cloud IDE, ensure you are running extension version 0.7.1 or later, which includes a fix for this connectivity pattern. If the issue persists, check your environment’s WebSocket proxy configuration.

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What’s next

Use the VS Code extension

Learn how to review code changes with the extension

Configure the VS Code extension

Customize the extension settings for your workflow

Use with Self-hosted CodeRabbit

Set up the extension with your self-hosted instance