Migrate to Warp from VS Code terminal

Warp lets VS Code users choose their own path: keep VS Code for editing and run Warp as the terminal alongside it, or replace both with Warp’s built-in code editor. This page walks through reconfiguring your terminal settings for either path.

What Warp can help transfer

Warp doesn’t have a VS Code importer because it’s a standalone application, not a VS Code extension. Because your VS Code terminal settings live in a readable user settings.json, Warp’s Agent can translate matching terminal.integrated.* values into Warp’s settings.toml:

{
  "terminal.integrated.defaultProfile.osx": "zsh",
  "terminal.integrated.fontFamily": "MesloLGS NF",
  "terminal.integrated.fontSize": 14,
  "terminal.integrated.cursorStyle": "line",
  "terminal.integrated.profiles.osx": {
    "zsh": {
      "path": "zsh"
    }
  }
}

Use Warp’s Agent to migrate your settings (recommended)

The fastest way to bring over your VS Code terminal setup is to ask Warp’s Agent to translate settings.json directly. Warp ships a settings.toml file and a bundled modify-settings skill that lets the Agent read your existing config and write equivalent values into Warp’s settings.

1. In the Warp app, open a new tab and switch to Agent Mode with ⌘+I (macOS) or Ctrl+I (Linux/Windows).

2. Paste this prompt into Agent Mode, then press Enter.

   Read my VS Code settings.json (~/Library/Application Support/Code/User/settings.json on macOS) and port the equivalent terminal settings (terminal.integrated.* keys) into my Warp settings.toml using the modify-settings skill. Show me a diff before applying.

3. Review the proposed diff, then approve the changes. Warp hot-reloads settings.toml.

If you’d rather configure each setting manually through the Settings UI, the steps below cover the most common cases.

What to reconfigure manually

Shell

Warp auto-detects your login shell. To override it, for example, to match terminal.integrated.defaultProfile.*, open Settings > Features > Session in the Warp app and choose a shell from Startup shell for new sessions.

Font and cursor

In the Warp app, open Settings > Appearance > Text, fonts, & cursor, then set the font family and size to match terminal.integrated.fontFamily and terminal.integrated.fontSize.

Theme

VS Code’s terminal uses the color scheme from your overall editor theme. In the Warp app, choose a comparable theme from Settings > Appearance > Themes, or create a custom theme that matches your VS Code theme’s terminal.* color tokens.

Keybindings

Warp’s default keyboard shortcuts are largely consistent with VS Code terminal shortcuts (splits, new tab, find). For any custom bindings you configured in VS Code, add them in Settings > Keyboard shortcuts in the Warp app.

Choosing your setup

Use Warp alongside VS Code

Many developers keep VS Code as their editor and use Warp as the terminal they switch to for long-running commands, SSH sessions, or AI-assisted workflows. You don’t need to change VS Code. Install Warp and open it when you want a richer terminal.

VS Code’s integrated terminal still works; use it for quick one-off commands, and jump to Warp when you need blocks, Agent Mode, or persistent sessions.

Replace VS Code with Warp

Warp includes a built-in code editor with Language Server Protocol (LSP) support, a file tree, find and replace, and Vim keybindings. Combined with Code Review, many developers use Warp as their primary editor and drop VS Code entirely.

Open a directory with warp . from the command line to start editing.

Warp-native equivalents

Use this table to find Warp equivalents for VS Code terminal features you might look for after switching:

From VS Code terminal	In Warp
Split terminal	Split panes
Multiple terminals (tab strip)	Tabs, vertical tabs
Tasks (tasks.json)	YAML workflows or tab configs
Terminal profiles	Tab configs + per-session shell overrides
Shell integration	Built in via Warpify; enables working-directory tracking and command-level blocks

For an overview of what Warp adds beyond a terminal, see Coding in Warp.