Install the extension

The Contral extension works in VS Code and in editors built on VS Code. It's the same extension everywhere, with the ID contral.contral, published on the Visual Studio Marketplace and on Open VSX.

Supported editors for the Contral extension#

The extension needs VS Code 1.93 or later (or an editor based on VS Code 1.93 or later).

The one-click links open the extension page directly inside your editor when the editor is installed. You'll find them as buttons on contral.ai/extension↗.

Install from the Extensions view (all editors)#

This works the same way in every supported editor.

1. Open the Extensions view: Cmd+Shift+X on macOS, Ctrl+Shift+X on Windows and Linux.
2. Search for Contral.
3. Pick Contral: Learn while you vibecode from publisher contral, then click Install.
4. A Contral icon appears in the activity bar. Click it to open Contral.

If you don't see Contral in Cursor, Windsurf, Antigravity or VSCodium, your editor may be pointed at a different extension registry. Use the manual VSIX install below.

Install from the command line#

If the code command is on your PATH (in VS Code, run Shell Command: Install 'code' command in PATH from the Command Palette):

code --install-extension contral.contral

Other editors with a command-line launcher usually accept the same --install-extension flag with their own command name.

Install manually from a VSIX file#

Use this if your editor can't reach the marketplace, for example behind a corporate proxy.

1. Open Contral on Open VSX↗ and download the latest .vsix file.
2. In your editor, open the Extensions view.
3. Click the … menu at the top of the Extensions view and choose Install from VSIX….
4. Select the downloaded file.

Or from a terminal:

code --install-extension /path/to/contral.vsix

Manually installed extensions don't update automatically from a marketplace. Contral still tells you when an update is available (see below), and you can repeat these steps to update.

After installing the Contral extension#

1. Click the Contral icon in the activity bar, or run Contral: Open from the Command Palette.
2. Sign in. See Sign in & connect your account.
3. Follow the Quickstart to make your first build.

The extension also adds a guided walkthrough, Welcome to Contral. Open it any time from Help → Welcome (under Walkthroughs) or by running Contral: Show me around (guided tour).

Updating the Contral extension#

Editors update marketplace extensions automatically unless you've turned that off. Contral also checks for new versions about every four hours and shows a banner, "Contral {version} is available", with an Install button. Some updates are marked mandatory and can't be dismissed.

Using Contral with terminal agents (Claude Code and Codex CLI)#

To get teaching cards for edits made by Claude Code or Codex CLI in a terminal, install the optional hook in your terminal:

npx @contral/claude-code-hook install

See Teaching on AI edits from other agents for details, including the Codex CLI hook.

Uninstalling the Contral extension#

Uninstall it like any other extension from the Extensions view. Your Contral account, plan and usage live on the server and aren't affected. You can reinstall and sign in again at any time.