Multipass Run

June 7, 2026 · View on GitHub

VS Code extension for managing Multipass virtual machine instances from the sidebar.

Manage Ubuntu, Fedora, Debian, and Ubuntu Core instances from the sidebar.
Create instances with default, custom, or cloud-init configurations.
Take, list, restore, and delete snapshots on stopped instances.
Mount and unmount host folders per instance.
Connect with Remote-SSH using a generated ed25519 key.

Install

Prerequisites

Visual Studio Code 1.105.0 or later.
Multipass installed and on PATH. Verify with multipass version.

For Multipass prerequisites and OS-specific installation steps, use the upstream guide:

Install Multipass

Install the extension

From the Marketplace:

Open the Extensions view (Cmd+Shift+X on macOS, Ctrl+Shift+X on Linux and Windows).
Search for Multipass Run.
Select Install.

From a VSIX file:

code --install-extension multipass-run-0.1.0.vsix

How-to guides

For Multipass lifecycle, mounts, snapshots, and cloud-init workflows, use the upstream docs:

How to launch with cloud-init

Save your cloud-init YAML. The file must start with #cloud-config.
Right-click the file in the Explorer and select Launch VM with this cloud-init, or click + in the sidebar and select Open cloud-init YAML.
Enter an instance name when prompted.

How to connect with Remote-SSH

The extension generates an ed25519 key pair on first use and writes a wrapped block into ~/.ssh/config. To connect, click SSH in the instance detail panel.

Reference

Commands

Title	ID
Refresh instance list	`multipass-run.refresh`
Create instance menu	`multipass-run.createInstanceMenu`
Prune orphaned SSH entries	`Multipass: Prune Orphaned SSH Entries`

Instance states

State	Meaning
Running	Active.
Stopped	Powered off.
Suspended	Paused and saved to disk.
Creating	Being provisioned.
Starting	Booting.
Stopping	Shutting down.
Deleting	Moving to deleted state.
Recovering	Restoring from deleted state.
Deleted	In trash. Recoverable until purged.

Security

Area	Behaviour
SSH key	ed25519 by default. Existing `multipass_id_rsa` is kept for backward compatibility. Last-VM purge offers to remove the key pair.
Config block	Wrapped in `# >>> multipass-run: <name>` / `# <<<` markers. Legacy entries are auto-migrated.
Host keys	`StrictHostKeyChecking accept-new` with the standard `known_hosts`. Purge runs `ssh-keygen -R`.
Guest key install	`multipass transfer` plus idempotent append. No shell interpolation of the public key.
Hygiene	Orphaned config blocks for missing VMs are auto-pruned at activation and via the Prune Orphaned SSH Entries command.

Contributing

Open issues and pull requests at the GitHub repository.

License

MIT. See LICENSE.