Make the WSL remote extension work in VS Codium

[wolfygit]

After a while I managed to make the extension work with these changes:

1.Download the .vsix from https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=ms-vscode-remote.remote-wsl and install manually from the extensions section

2.In the file: C:\Users\%USERNAME%\.vscode-oss\extensions\ms-vscode-remote.remote-wsl-0.66.3\scripts\wslDownload.sh replace all "commit:$COMMIT" with "latest"

3.Open the extension And wait the download of the .vscodium-server within WSL user profile

4.In the file C:\Users\%USERNAME%\.vscode-oss\extensions\ms-vscode-remote.remote-wsl-0.66.3\scripts\wslServer.sh replace 'SERVER_APPNAME=$3' with 'SERVER_APPNAME="code-server"'

5.In the file \\wsl$\Ubuntu\%USERNAME%\.vscodium-server\bin\%COMIT_ID%\product.json replace the value of the "commit": with the same value of "commit": found in your %VSCODIUM_INSTALLATION_DIRECTORY%\VSCodium\resources\app\product.json

6.In the file \\wsl$\Ubuntu\%USERNAME%\.vscodium-server\bin\%COMIT_ID%\out\vs\server\node\server.main.js search "if(!ye){if(this._environmentService.isBuilt)return ie("Unauthorized client refused")" and change the first if condition from '!ye' to 'false'

[0reo]

this works. i also need to make a couple of links but that could be just my config using WSL. replace COMMIT_HASH with whatever you have locally after step 3

ln -s ~/.vscodium-server/bin/COMMIT_HASH/bin/code-server ~/.vscodium-server/bin/COMMIT_HASH/bin/codium-server
ln -s ~/.vscodium-server/bin/COMMIT_HASH/bin/remote-cli/code ~/.vscodium-server/bin/COMMIT_HASH/bin/remote-cli/codium

[dbarrerap]

Just as an update, on step 6, search for "Unauthorized client refused". There should be 2 instances, apply the fix to the second search result. The variable name changes in different versions, apparently (for me it was ve).

[unedited-despair]

Thank you, great work.

I however perceive two flaws with the hack:
Firstly, step 6 basically allows unauthorized clients to connect.
Secondly, as soon as you launch Codium in a WSL folder, a folder ~/.vscode-server gets created&populated in the WSL.

Also, instead of changing the condition to false in step 6, you can just remove the exclamation mark.

[mpql]

Here's kind of a roll-up of everything above, along with a few extra additions for issues I ran into. Also, addressing mikefarmer01's comment above, we create a symlink for .vscode-server. If I'm reading it right, I don't think the authorization is an issue, because there are other instances to check for auth mismatch and protocol, whereas the one we're changing just seems like it's designed to break things like Codium.

1. Update Codium to latest from VSCodium/vscodium/releases you will likely have to expand the download list, as there's a lot of them. I personally like using the zip, as the latest installer as of this writing gave me a partial upgrade.
2. Run Codium, and uninstall the "WSL" Remote extension.
3. Download .vsix, in this case ms-vscode-remote.remote-wsl-0.72.0.vsix from VS Marketplace using the below javascriptlet.
4. Open Codium and install the downloaded .vsix; dragging it into the extensions pane worked for me.
5. In the file: %USERPROFILE%\.vscode-oss\extensions\ms-vscode-remote.remote-wsl-0.72.0\scripts\wslDownload.sh (changing as necessary for your installed version), replace all instances of commit:$COMMIT with latest.
6. Open a WSL folder / window in Codium; it will try to start a download. Some people say it succeeds here -- so if it works for you, great, move on to step 9 -- but this part fails for me.
7. Here, I use fiddler's AutoResponder to return the correct file, with the identifier in the first URL being the latest Codium release's commit hash, and the latter URL's being the corresponding version's commit hash from the vscode repository; i.e. if you installed Codium 1.74.2, get the commit hash for the release of VSCode 1.74.2 from VSCode's repo. For me, this looked like:
   • https://vscodium.now.sh/commit:d2c422ca15f1fbc976eed3e02e3392bbb39c5824/server-linux-x64/stable
   • https://az764295.vo.msecnd.net/stable/e8a3071ea4344d9d48ef8a4df2c097372b0c5161/vscode-server-linux-x64.tar.gz
     Save these commit hashes for later, as you'll need them.
8. Relaunch Codium, the download should succeed this time.
9. Close Codium.
10. In the file: %USERPROFILE%\.vscode-oss\extensions\ms-vscode-remote.remote-wsl-0.72.0\scripts\wslServer.sh, replace SERVER_APPNAME=$3 with SERVER_APPNAME="code-server".
11. In WSL, in the file: ${HOME}/.vscodium-server/bin/d2c422ca15f1fbc976eed3e02e3392bbb39c5824/product.json , replace the commit value with the VS Codium commit hash from earlier, in this case: d2c422ca15f1fbc976eed3e02e3392bbb39c5824. You can also get this from the value of commit in VSCodium\resources\app\product.json, from Codium's install directory, which is what clued me in to my having a partial upgrade earlier, as my version value was outdated.
12. In WSL, in the file ${HOME}/.vscodium-server/bin/d2c422ca15f1fbc976eed3e02e3392bbb39c5824/out/vs/server/node/server.main.js, where d2c422ca15f1fbc976eed3e02e3392bbb39c5824 is the latest Codium releases's commit hash, replace return fe("Unauthorized client refused); with console.warn("Ignoring: Unauthorized client refused");, where fe might be a different obfuscation.
13. In a WSL prompt, create the following symlinks (I like relative links, but change to -s if you don't):

    ln -rs "${HOME}/.vscodium-server" "${HOME}/.vscode-server"
    	ln -rs "${HOME}/.vscodium-server/bin/d2c422ca15f1fbc976eed3e02e3392bbb39c5824/bin/code-server" "${HOME}/.vscodium-server/bin/d2c422ca15f1fbc976eed3e02e3392bbb39c5824/bin/codium-server"
    	ln -rs "${HOME}/.vscodium-server/bin/d2c422ca15f1fbc976eed3e02e3392bbb39c5824/bin/remote-cli/code" "${HOME}/.vscodium-server/bin/d2c422ca15f1fbc976eed3e02e3392bbb39c5824/bin/remote-cli/codium"

    Note that you can use -frs here to force link creation if you've already made links earlier and want to replace them.
14. Launch Codium, and you should be all set!

Java Scriptlet to Download .vsix from VS Marketplace

javascript:(function() {const URL_VSIX_PATTERN = 'https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/_apis/public/gallery/publishers/${publisher}/vsextensions/${extension}/${version}/vspackage';let itemName = new URL(window.location.href).searchParams.get('itemName');let[publisher,extension] = itemName.split('.');let version = document.querySelector('#versionHistoryTab tbody tr .version-history-container-column').textContent;let url = URL_VSIX_PATTERN.replace('${publisher}', publisher).replace('${extension}', extension).replace('${version}', version);window.open(url, '_blank');})();

Regarding the issue itself, I feel like it would be trivial to automate these changes and fix the download (assuming it's not something on my end). I'd be happy to submit a PR to this end if someone can direct me to where the logic for creating the vscodium.now.sh downloads is.

[daiyam]

@mpql This is a license issue. Most Microsoft extensions became closed-source and have a license limiting them to be used only with Microsoft products.

If you want, you can use the extension VSIX Manager to automate the install of extensions from different marketplaces.

The best would be to have an open-source equivalent of that extension.

[mpql]

@daiyam The most recent licensing terms in Microsoft/vscode-remote-release mention in the commit that they are trying to "clarify" that the license is only for the repo, but a) if you compile something from that code you can then use it however you like under that repo's terms (their compilation is, of course, the more restrictive terms), and b) as I understand it, even as the author, they cannot re-license it under more restrictive terms, they'd need to start a new repo and new codebase.

In addition to that, changing targets isn't reverse engineering, as JavaScript isn't compiled in the first place. Either a) Codium is not a Microsoft product, and thus running your own extension isn't either, or b) they both are and it falls under the license's use terms.

These are just my personal takes, and I realize y'all are likely CYA.

Thanks for the recommendation for VSIX Manager, I hadn't heard of that. That wouldn't do anything to extend licenses, but do you have any marketplace recommendations for working remote extensions?

The best would be to have an open-source equivalent of that extension.

Agreed. I wish they would, but I'm pretty sure Microsoft is too busy huffing their open core nonsense. They get to steal your data, or they try to stop you from using it with your OS lol.

[jacksongoode]

Here's kind of a roll-up of everything above, along with a few extra additions for issues I ran into. Also, addressing mikefarmer01's comment above, we create a symlink for .vscode-server. If I'm reading it right, I don't think the authorization is an issue, because there are other instances to check for auth mismatch and protocol, whereas the one we're changing just seems like it's designed to break things like Codium.

1. Update Codium to latest from [VSCodium/vscodium/releases](https://github.com/VSCodium/vscodium/releases) you will likely have to expand the download list, as there's a lot of them. I personally like using the zip, as the latest installer as of this writing gave me a partial upgrade.

2. Run Codium, and uninstall the "WSL" Remote extension.

3. Download `.vsix`, in this case `ms-vscode-remote.remote-wsl-0.72.0.vsix` from [VS Marketplace](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=ms-vscode-remote.remote-wsl) using the below javascriptlet.

4. Open Codium and install the downloaded `.vsix`; dragging it into the extensions pane worked for me.

5. In the file: `%USERPROFILE%\.vscode-oss\extensions\ms-vscode-remote.remote-wsl-0.72.0\scripts\wslDownload.sh` (changing as necessary for your installed version), replace all instances of `commit:$COMMIT` with `latest`.

6. Open a WSL folder / window in Codium; it will try to start a download. Some people say it succeeds here -- so if it works for you, great, move on to step 9 -- but this part fails for me.

7. Here, I use fiddler's AutoResponder to return the correct file, with the identifier in the first URL being the latest Codium release's commit hash, and the latter URL's being the corresponding version's commit hash from the [vscode repository](https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/releases); i.e. if you installed Codium `1.74.2`, get the commit hash for the release of VSCode `1.74.2` from [VSCode's repo](https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/releases). For me, this looked like:
   
   * https://vscodium.now.sh/commit:d2c422ca15f1fbc976eed3e02e3392bbb39c5824/server-linux-x64/stable
   * https://az764295.vo.msecnd.net/stable/e8a3071ea4344d9d48ef8a4df2c097372b0c5161/vscode-server-linux-x64.tar.gz
     Save these commit hashes for later, as you'll need them.

8. Relaunch Codium, the download should succeed this time.

9. Close Codium.

10. In the file: `%USERPROFILE%\.vscode-oss\extensions\ms-vscode-remote.remote-wsl-0.72.0\scripts\wslServer.sh`, replace `SERVER_APPNAME=$3` with `SERVER_APPNAME="code-server"`.

11. **In WSL**, in the file: `${HOME}/.vscodium-server/bin/d2c422ca15f1fbc976eed3e02e3392bbb39c5824/product.json` , replace the `commit` value with the VS Codium commit hash from earlier, in this case: `d2c422ca15f1fbc976eed3e02e3392bbb39c5824`.  You can also get this from the value of `commit` in `VSCodium\resources\app\product.json`, from Codium's install directory, which is what clued me in to my having a partial upgrade earlier, as my `version` value was outdated.

12. **In WSL**, in the file `${HOME}/.vscodium-server/bin/d2c422ca15f1fbc976eed3e02e3392bbb39c5824/out/vs/server/node/server.main.js`, where `d2c422ca15f1fbc976eed3e02e3392bbb39c5824` is the latest Codium releases's commit hash, replace `return fe("Unauthorized client refused);` with `console.warn("Ignoring: Unauthorized client refused");`, where `fe` might be a different obfuscation.

13. In a WSL prompt, create the following symlinks (I like relative links, but change to `-s` if you don't):
    ```shell
    ln -rs "${HOME}/.vscodium-server" "${HOME}/.vscode-server"
    	ln -rs "${HOME}/.vscodium-server/bin/d2c422ca15f1fbc976eed3e02e3392bbb39c5824/bin/code-server" "${HOME}/.vscodium-server/bin/d2c422ca15f1fbc976eed3e02e3392bbb39c5824/bin/codium-server"
    	ln -rs "${HOME}/.vscodium-server/bin/d2c422ca15f1fbc976eed3e02e3392bbb39c5824/bin/remote-cli/code" "${HOME}/.vscodium-server/bin/d2c422ca15f1fbc976eed3e02e3392bbb39c5824/bin/remote-cli/codium"
    ```
    
    
        
          
        
    
          
        
    
        
      
    Note that you can use `-frs` here to force link creation if you've already made links earlier and want to replace them.

14. Launch Codium, and you should be all set!

Java Scriptlet to Download .vsix from VS Marketplace

javascript:(function() {const URL_VSIX_PATTERN = 'https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/_apis/public/gallery/publishers/${publisher}/vsextensions/${extension}/${version}/vspackage';let itemName = new URL(window.location.href).searchParams.get('itemName');let[publisher,extension] = itemName.split('.');let version = document.querySelector('#versionHistoryTab tbody tr .version-history-container-column').textContent;let url = URL_VSIX_PATTERN.replace('${publisher}', publisher).replace('${extension}', extension).replace('${version}', version);window.open(url, '_blank');})();

Regarding the issue itself, I feel like it would be trivial to automate these changes and fix the download (assuming it's not something on my end). I'd be happy to submit a PR to this end if someone can direct me to where the logic for creating the vscodium.now.sh downloads is.

Wow this is a hassle - especially as it updates for later version! A script for this would be so great :)

[eternalphane]

Ultimate solution to make WSL extension work, no need to modify any vendor files

Add the following lines to ~/.vscodium-server(-insiders)/server-env-setup:

# uncomment the following line to enable debugging
#export VSCODE_WSL_DEBUG_INFO=true

fix_download() {
    case "$QUALITY" in
        stable)
            local repo_name='vscodium'
            local app_name='codium';;
        insider)
            local repo_name='vscodium-insiders'
            local app_name='codium-insiders';;
        *)
            echo "unknown quality: $QUALITY" 1>&2
            return 1;;
    esac
    local ps='/mnt/c/Windows/System32/WindowsPowerShell/v1.0/powershell.exe'
    local cmd="(Get-Command $app_name).Path | Split-Path | Split-Path"
    local install_dir=$(wslpath -u "$($ps -nop -c "$cmd | Write-Host -NoNewLine")")
    local product_json="$install_dir/resources/app/product.json"
    local release=$(jq -r .release "$product_json")
    local version=$(jq -r .version "$product_json" | sed "s#\(-$QUALITY\)\?\$#.$release&#")
    local arch=$(uname -m)
    case $arch in
        x86_64)
            local platform='x64';;
        armv7l | armv8l)
            local platform='armhf';;
        arm64 | aarch64)
            local platform='arm64';;
        *)
            echo "unknown machine: $arch" 1>&2
            return 1;;
    esac
    local url="https://github.com/VSCodium/$repo_name/releases/download/$version/vscodium-reh-linux-$platform-$version.tar.gz"
    export VSCODE_SERVER_TAR=$(curl -fLOJ "$url" --output-dir /tmp -w '/tmp/%{filename_effective}')
    export REMOVE_SERVER_TAR_FILE=true
}
[ "$VSCODE_WSL_DEBUG_INFO" = true ] && set -x
if [ ! -d "$HOME/$DATAFOLDER/bin/$COMMIT" ]; then
    set -e
    fix_download
    set +e
fi
unset fix_download

Note requires jq to be installed

[mpql]

Thanks for sharing, @eternalphane! I will try this out on my next Windows Codium install and report back. 😄

[awebeer256]

I used @mpql's solution, and then installed an update to codium, which broke it. Instead of redoing it to make it work again, I used @eternalphane's solution, but then I still had to create a symlink in WSL: code-server -> codium-server in ~/.vscodium-server/bin/<hash>/bin, before it would work.

[mpql]

Thanks for letting us know! Yeah, it breaks on updates. I'll have to switch methods next update. Cheers! 🍻

[awebeer256]

New development: what I describe above still breaks on updates to Codium, but I believe the following will instead break on updates to the WSL remote extension, which I believe are much less frequent.

Instead of creating the symlink like I describe above, edit the (Windows) file %userprofile%\.vscode-oss\extensions\ms-vscode-remote.remote-wsl-0.72.0\scripts\wslServer.sh. On line 6, we have SERVER_APPNAME="code-server". Change code-server to codium-server.

Edit for posterity: 0.72.0 is the extension's version number, so the exact path will change in the future to reflect that.

[jacksongoode]

@awebeer256 is there a similar script for Mac/Linux?