Open a folder as a member from VS Code

A shortcut opens a folder in VS Code and runs crew <member> there, in an editor tab. Make one with crew shortcut add <name> --member <member> --folder <path>, then open it with crew shortcut open <name>. On Windows it also gets a Start Menu entry, with an optional hotkey such as CTRL+ALT+C.

Add a shortcut

crew shortcut add site --member main --folder E:/demo-crew-inventory/proj/site --hotkey ctrl+alt+c

[OK] Shortcut site opens E:/demo-crew-inventory/proj/site in VS Code and runs crew main there.
[i] Workspace file: E:\demo-crew-inventory\crew-home\shortcuts\site.code-workspace
[i] Start Menu: E:\demo-crew-inventory\appdata\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\site.lnk, hotkey CTRL+ALT+C
[i] Open it with: crew shortcut open site

• --member is required and must be an existing member.
• --folder defaults to the folder you run the command in.
• --hotkey is optional: CTRL, ALT or SHIFT joined by +, then a letter, a digit or F1 to F12. Case does not matter.

A shortcut name follows the same rule as member names: lowercase letters, digits and hyphens, starting with a letter.

What a shortcut is

• A workspace file, <crew home>/shortcuts/<name>.code-workspace, on every platform. It opens the folder, puts new terminals in an editor tab, and holds one task that runs crew <member> when the folder opens. When the session ends, the tab stays open as a shell in that folder.
• A Start Menu entry on Windows, %APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\<name>.lnk, that opens the workspace in VS Code. The hotkey opens it too.

The task runs in Git Bash on Windows (Claude Code needs Git for Windows there) and in your $SHELL on macOS and Linux. VS Code brings back that window’s layout and its other terminals each time, even when only that window was closed.

On macOS and Linux there is no Start Menu entry or hotkey; add prints [i] The Start Menu entry and the hotkey are Windows-only for now.

List, change and remove shortcuts

crew shortcut list

site  crew main  E:/demo-crew-inventory/proj/site  CTRL+ALT+C

crew shortcut set site --member side --no-hotkey

[OK] Shortcut site: crew side in E:/demo-crew-inventory/proj/site.

set changes only what you pass (--member, --folder, --hotkey <keys> or --no-hotkey) and writes the files again.

crew shortcut remove site

[OK] Removed shortcut site and its Start Menu entry.

crew rename moves a member’s shortcuts to the new name, and crew drop removes them with the member.

Open a shortcut

crew shortcut open site

It starts VS Code on the workspace file. crewrota finds VS Code at:

Platform	Where it looks
Windows	%LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\Microsoft VS Code\Code.exe, then %ProgramFiles%\Microsoft VS Code\Code.exe, then code on PATH
macOS and Linux	the code command on PATH

On a Mac, add code to PATH from VS Code’s Command Palette: “Shell Command: Install ‘code’ command in PATH”. CREWROTA_CODE points crewrota at another VS Code executable.

Errors

Problem	crew says
A bad hotkey	"ctrl+q+z" is not a hotkey. Use CTRL, ALT or SHIFT joined by +, then a letter, digit or F1 to F12, such as CTRL+ALT+C.
The name is taken	Shortcut site already exists. Change it with: crew shortcut set site
The Start Menu already has that name (Windows)	The Start Menu already has <file>. Pick another name.
The folder does not exist	<folder> is not a folder
No VS Code found	VS Code was not found. Install it from https://code.visualstudio.com, then try again.
The workspace file was deleted	<file> is missing. Write it again with: crew shortcut set site
No such shortcut	Shortcut site doesn't exist. Add it with: crew shortcut add site --member <m> --folder <path>

On Windows, add and set need VS Code installed, since the Start Menu entry points at it. crew doctor checks for VS Code once you have a shortcut.

Related

• Shortcut commands, in full
• Add and manage crew members