microsoft / microsoft/vscode-remote-release

Cannot turn on code server in VSCode

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Description

Is there an existing issue for this bug?
  • I have searched the existing open issues and found none that apply.
  • If I find any issue of interest that is related or closed, I will included a link to it in this issue.
Required Troubleshooting Steps
  • I have read and performed the troubleshooting steps
  • I have tried both values of the remote.SSH.useLocalServer setting
  • My issue was not covered in the Tips and Tricks linked from the Troubleshooting Wiki.
  • I will include a complete copy of my Remote - SSH logs by running Remote-SSH: Show Log in the command palette or from View > Output in the menu bar
[Optional] Diagnose with Copilot

I did not ask the @remote-ssh participant for help

In step 2 of the troubleshooting wiki, what was the result of running the generated SSH command verbatim outside of VS Code?

I could NOT successfully SSH to the remote machine, and the error was the SAME to what I saw in VS Code

Remote-SSH Log
Remote-SSH Log 

2026-08-26 08:17:31.022 [info] No authentication session available, not starting tunnel
2026-08-26 08:18:00.146 [info] Session updated: 694066681@qq.com (microsoft) (service=true)
2026-08-26 08:18:00.147 [info] Session token updated: 694066681@qq.com (microsoft)
2026-08-26 08:18:00.397 [info] Running tunnel CLI

2026-08-26 08:18:00.398 [info] status Spawning: c:\Users\69406\AppData\Local\Programs\Microsoft VS Code\bin\code-tunnel.exe tunnel status

2026-08-26 08:18:00.983 [info] {"tunnel":null,"service_installed":true}

2026-08-26 08:18:00.994 [info] status exit(43308): + 0 
2026-08-26 08:18:01.009 [info] Running tunnel CLI

2026-08-26 08:18:01.009 [info] login Spawning: c:\Users\69406\AppData\Local\Programs\Microsoft VS Code\bin\code-tunnel.exe tunnel user login --provider microsoft --log info

2026-08-26 08:18:01.150 [info] login exit(17164): + 0 
2026-08-26 08:18:01.150 [info] Running tunnel CLI

2026-08-26 08:18:01.151 [info] tunnel Spawning: c:\Users\69406\AppData\Local\Programs\Microsoft VS Code\bin\code-tunnel.exe tunnel --accept-server-license-terms --log info --user-data-dir C:\Users\69406\AppData\Roaming\Code --delegate-to-editor --name smdsbz-laptop --parent-process-id 1096 --no-sleep

2026-08-26 08:18:01.199 [error] error: unexpected argument '--user-data-dir' found

2026-08-26 08:18:01.200 [error] 

2026-08-26 08:18:01.201 [error]   tip: a similar argument exists: '--server-data-dir'

2026-08-26 08:18:01.201 [error] 

2026-08-26 08:18:01.201 [error] Usage: code-tunnel.exe tunnel --accept-server-license-terms --log <level> --server-data-dir <SERVER_DATA_DIR>

2026-08-26 08:18:01.202 [error] 

2026-08-26 08:18:01.202 [error] For more information, try '--help'.

2026-08-26 08:18:01.206 [info] tunnel exit(53296): + 2 
2026-08-26 08:19:27.856 [info] Session updated: 694066681@qq.com (microsoft) (service=false)
2026-08-26 08:19:27.856 [info] Session token updated: 694066681@qq.com (microsoft)
2026-08-26 08:19:28.580 [info] Running tunnel CLI

2026-08-26 08:19:28.581 [info] status Spawning: c:\Users\69406\AppData\Local\Programs\Microsoft VS Code\bin\code-tunnel.exe tunnel status

2026-08-26 08:19:29.136 [info] {"tunnel":null,"service_installed":false}

2026-08-26 08:19:29.144 [info] status exit(15796): + 0 
2026-08-26 08:19:29.153 [info] Running tunnel CLI

2026-08-26 08:19:29.154 [info] login Spawning: c:\Users\69406\AppData\Local\Programs\Microsoft VS Code\bin\code-tunnel.exe tunnel user login --provider microsoft --log info

2026-08-26 08:19:29.239 [info] login exit(55932): + 0 
2026-08-26 08:19:29.240 [info] Running tunnel CLI

2026-08-26 08:19:29.240 [info] tunnel Spawning: c:\Users\69406\AppData\Local\Programs\Microsoft VS Code\bin\code-tunnel.exe tunnel --accept-server-license-terms --log info --user-data-dir C:\Users\69406\AppData\Roaming\Code --delegate-to-editor --name smdsbz-laptop --parent-process-id 1096 --no-sleep

2026-08-26 08:19:29.297 [error] error: unexpected argument '--user-data-dir' found

2026-08-26 08:19:29.298 [error] 

2026-08-26 08:19:29.298 [error]   tip: a similar argument exists: '--server-data-dir'

2026-08-26 08:19:29.299 [error] 

2026-08-26 08:19:29.299 [error] Usage: code-tunnel.exe tunnel --accept-server-license-terms --log <level> --server-data-dir <SERVER_DATA_DIR>

2026-08-26 08:19:29.300 [error] 

2026-08-26 08:19:29.300 [error] For more information, try '--help'.

2026-08-26 08:19:29.306 [info] tunnel exit(7520): + 2 
2026-08-26 08:20:27.271 [info] Session updated: 694066681@qq.com (microsoft) (service=true)
2026-08-26 08:20:27.271 [info] Session token updated: 694066681@qq.com (microsoft)
2026-08-26 08:20:27.392 [info] Running tunnel CLI

2026-08-26 08:20:27.393 [info] status Spawning: c:\Users\69406\AppData\Local\Programs\Microsoft VS Code\bin\code-tunnel.exe tunnel status

2026-08-26 08:20:27.955 [info] {"tunnel":null,"service_installed":false}

2026-08-26 08:20:27.963 [info] status exit(40872): + 0 
2026-08-26 08:20:27.980 [info] Running tunnel CLI

2026-08-26 08:20:27.980 [info] serviceInstall Spawning: c:\Users\69406\AppData\Local\Programs\Microsoft VS Code\bin\code-tunnel.exe tunnel service install --accept-server-license-terms --log info --user-data-dir C:\Users\69406\AppData\Roaming\Code --name smdsbz-laptop

2026-08-26 08:20:28.034 [error] error: unexpected argument '--user-data-dir' found

2026-08-26 08:20:28.035 [error] 

2026-08-26 08:20:28.035 [error]   tip: a similar argument exists: '--cli-data-dir'

2026-08-26 08:20:28.036 [error] 

2026-08-26 08:20:28.036 [error] Usage: code-tunnel.exe tunnel service install --accept-server-license-terms --log <level> --cli-data-dir <CLI_DATA_DIR>

2026-08-26 08:20:28.036 [error] 

2026-08-26 08:20:28.037 [error] For more information, try '--help'.

2026-08-26 08:20:28.051 [info] serviceInstall exit(34832): + 2 
2026-08-26 08:20:28.062 [info] Running tunnel CLI

2026-08-26 08:20:28.063 [info] login Spawning: c:\Users\69406\AppData\Local\Programs\Microsoft VS Code\bin\code-tunnel.exe tunnel user login --provider microsoft --log info

2026-08-26 08:20:28.173 [info] login exit(22616): + 0 
2026-08-26 08:20:28.174 [info] Running tunnel CLI

2026-08-26 08:20:28.174 [info] tunnel Spawning: c:\Users\69406\AppData\Local\Programs\Microsoft VS Code\bin\code-tunnel.exe tunnel --accept-server-license-terms --log info --user-data-dir C:\Users\69406\AppData\Roaming\Code --delegate-to-editor --name smdsbz-laptop --parent-process-id 1096 --no-sleep

2026-08-26 08:20:28.227 [error] error: unexpected argument '--user-data-dir' found

2026-08-26 08:20:28.228 [error] 

2026-08-26 08:20:28.228 [error]   tip: a similar argument exists: '--server-data-dir'

2026-08-26 08:20:28.229 [error] 

2026-08-26 08:20:28.229 [error] Usage: code-tunnel.exe tunnel --accept-server-license-terms --log <level> --server-data-dir <SERVER_DATA_DIR>

2026-08-26 08:20:28.230 [error] 

2026-08-26 08:20:28.230 [error] For more information, try '--help'.

2026-08-26 08:20:28.246 [info] tunnel exit(17000): + 2

Expected Behavior

VSCode is able to start the tunnel service

Actual Behavior

Does not start, VSCode is providing code-server with the wrong argument.

Steps To Reproduce
  1. ctrl+shift+p to turn on remote tunnel
  2. provide authentication method
  3. hit enter
Anything else?

No response

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Start by reproducing the Remote: Turn on Remote Tunnel command and inspect the code-tunnel.exe invocations in the Remote-SSH log. Compare the generated arguments with the CLI usage shown there; done means VS Code starts the tunnel service without an unexpected-argument error.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
vscode
Domain
cli, devtools
Issue type
Bug
Difficulty
3/5
Estimated time
1-2 days
Activity status
Active
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
58/100

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