Connect with VS Code
For teams with an existing VS Code standard, an extension policy, and an IT department that owns both.
Finish Connect to your box first. VS Code reads the same ~/.ssh/config entry, so rapidbox appears in its host list automatically.
VS Code brings its own remote development story and a large extension market. That is the reason to pick it: your IT team already has a policy for both. The tradeoff is that the AI layer is a separate decision you make rather than something that arrives in the box.
Step 1: Install VS Code and Remote SSH
- Download VS Code from code.visualstudio.com and install it.
- Open VS Code and click the Extensions icon in the left rail, or press Ctrl + Shift + X.
- Search for Remote - SSH and install the extension published by Microsoft.
Step 2: Connect to the box
- Press Ctrl + Shift + P (Cmd + Shift + P on a Mac).
- Type Remote-SSH: Connect to Host and press Enter.
- Choose
rapidbox. It is listed because of the SSH config you saved earlier. - A new window opens and installs a small server component on the box the first time. This takes under a minute.
Confirm the connection in the lower-left corner of the new window. It shows the remote name once you are connected.
Step 3: Open your workspace
Choose File → Open Folder in the remote window and select
/opt/stacks/<your-client-code>-app. VS Code reloads with your project in the explorer.
Extensions install per side. VS Code keeps a local set and a remote set, and an extension installed locally is not automatically available in the remote window. When an extension appears to be missing, look for the Install in SSH: rapidbox button on its extension page.
Step 4: Add the AI layer
VS Code edits files well on its own. To build by describing what you want, add one of these. All three run in the remote window and therefore work against your data on the box.
| Option | How it arrives | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Claude Code | Terminal inside VS Code, or the Claude Code extension | Open the built-in terminal and follow Connect with Claude Code. You get the editor and the agent in one window. |
| Codex CLI | Terminal inside VS Code | Same idea. See Connect with Codex CLI. |
| GitHub Copilot | Extension from the marketplace | Requires a Copilot subscription. Good at editing code, and less suited to "build me this whole dashboard" requests. |
Open the built-in terminal with Ctrl + `. It opens on the box, already inside your workspace folder, which is exactly where you want an agent to start.
Confirm with your coach Which AI extensions your organization has approved, and whether your box permits extension downloads from the Microsoft marketplace. On a locked-down network that traffic may need an allowance from IT.
Step 5: Your first prompt
Whichever agent you chose, start with the same question.
Before we build anything, give me an inventory of what this box can already see. List every connected data source. For each one, tell me: - the system it comes from and how it connects (API, CSV, or SQL) - how fresh the data is and how often it refreshes - the main tables or entities available, in plain business language - the date range actually present Then suggest the five dashboards you would build first for a CEO, given what is here. Keep it to one paragraph each and no code yet.
Then work through the prompt library.
Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
rapidbox is missing from the host list |
VS Code is reading a different SSH config file. | Run Remote-SSH: Open SSH Configuration File from the command palette and confirm the Host rapidbox block is in the file it opens. |
| Connecting hangs on "Setting up SSH host" | The one-time server component is downloading over a slow link. | Give it two minutes. If it never finishes, call us and we will install the component on the box directly. |
| An extension is greyed out | It is installed locally and not on the remote side. | Open the extension page and click Install in SSH: rapidbox. |
| The terminal opens on your laptop | You are in the local VS Code window rather than the remote one. | Check the lower-left corner. Reconnect through the command palette if the badge is missing. |
Talk to a human instead.
Every RapidDashboard client gets direct access to the team that built the box. Most questions take under ten minutes on a call.