Prerequisites

  • VS Code installed on your local machine
  • Distiller device IP address or hostname (find it via the Distiller web UI or run hostname -I on the device)
  • Both devices on the same network (or connected via VPN)

Setup

1. Generate an SSH Key

If you don’t already have an SSH key, generate one on your local machine:

ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "your-identifier"

The -C flag is just a comment to help you identify the key later (e.g., john@macbook or work-laptop). It doesn’t affect authentication.

Press Enter to accept the default file location. You can optionally set a passphrase.

2. Copy Your SSH Key to the Distiller

Copy your public key to the Distiller device. Replace DISTILLER_IP with your device’s IP address:

ssh-copy-id distiller@DISTILLER_IP

Enter the Distiller user’s password when prompted. After this, you can SSH without a password.

Add the Distiller to your SSH config for easier connections. Edit ~/.ssh/config on your local machine:

Host distiller
    HostName DISTILLER_IP
    User distiller

Now you can connect with just ssh distiller instead of ssh distiller@DISTILLER_IP.

4. Install Remote - SSH Extension

Install the Remote - SSH extension in VS Code.

5. Connect to Your Distiller

  1. Press Ctrl+Shift+P (or Cmd+Shift+P on macOS) to open the Command Palette
  2. Type “Remote-SSH: Connect to Host” and select it
  3. Choose distiller (if configured) or enter distiller@DISTILLER_IP
  4. VS Code will automatically install VS Code Server on the Distiller on first connection

The extensions below are grouped by purpose. Install only what you need for your workflow.

AI Coding Assistants

Choose one or both based on your preference and subscription.

Git & GitHub

Recommended for most developers working with Git repositories.

Code Quality & Formatting

Helpful for maintaining consistent code style.

  • Prettier - Automatic code formatter for JS, TS, CSS, JSON, and more
  • Code Spell Checker - Catch spelling mistakes in code and comments

Python Development

Required if you’re developing Python applications or using the Distiller SDK.

Containers & Kubernetes

For DevOps workflows, container development, or deploying to Kubernetes.

Language & File Support

Install based on the file types you work with.

  • YAML - YAML validation and autocomplete (useful for config files, Kubernetes manifests)
  • Markdown All in One - Shortcuts, preview, and TOC generation for Markdown
  • Systemd Unit File - Syntax highlighting for systemd services

Utilities

Optional quality-of-life improvements.

  • Stats Bar - Display CPU, memory, and network stats in the status bar

Distiller Extensions

The Distiller extensions are pre-installed on code-server but need to be copied to VS Code Server for use with Remote SSH.

Installing Distiller Extensions for VS Code Remote SSH

The Distiller extensions are not available on the VS Code Marketplace. To use them with VS Code Remote SSH, you need to:

  1. Copy the extensions from code-server to VS Code Server
  2. Update the extensions.json file so VS Code recognizes them

Note: If you are using VSCodium, use ~/.vscodium-server instead of ~/.vscode-server in all the commands below.

Note: The ~/.vscode-server/extensions/ directory is created automatically on your first VS Code Remote SSH connection. Make sure you’ve connected at least once before running these commands.

Step 1: Copy the Extension Files

Run this command on your Distiller device (via SSH or terminal):

cp -r ~/.local/share/code-server/extensions/pamir-ai.* ~/.vscode-server/extensions/
Step 2: Update extensions.json

You can either download the script or create it manually.

# Download the update script
curl -o /tmp/update_extensions.py https://vanvonlj.github.io/documentation-site/scripts/update_vscode_extensions.py

# Run it
python3 /tmp/update_extensions.py
Option B: Create the script manually
cat > /tmp/update_extensions.py << 'EOF'
import json
import time

# Read the current extensions.json
with open('/home/distiller/.vscode-server/extensions/extensions.json', 'r') as f:
    extensions = json.load(f)

# Pamir AI extensions to add
pamir_extensions = [
    {
        "id": "pamir-ai.device-manager",
        "version": "1.1.0",
        "relativeLocation": "pamir-ai.device-manager-1.1.0-universal"
    },
    {
        "id": "pamir-ai.distiller-messaging",
        "version": "1.0.0",
        "relativeLocation": "pamir-ai.distiller-messaging-1.0.0-universal"
    },
    {
        "id": "pamir-ai.distiller-ports",
        "version": "1.1.0",
        "relativeLocation": "pamir-ai.distiller-ports-1.1.0-universal"
    },
    {
        "id": "pamir-ai.happy-session-manager",
        "version": "1.1.0",
        "relativeLocation": "pamir-ai.happy-session-manager-1.1.0-universal"
    },
    {
        "id": "pamir-ai.pamir-welcome",
        "version": "1.1.0",
        "relativeLocation": "pamir-ai.pamir-welcome-1.1.0-universal"
    }
]

# Get current timestamp
timestamp = int(time.time() * 1000)

# Add each Pamir extension if not already present
existing_ids = {ext['identifier']['id'] for ext in extensions}

for pamir in pamir_extensions:
    if pamir['id'] not in existing_ids:
        new_ext = {
            "identifier": {
                "id": pamir['id']
            },
            "version": pamir['version'],
            "location": {
                "$mid": 1,
                "path": f"/home/distiller/.vscode-server/extensions/{pamir['relativeLocation']}",
                "scheme": "file"
            },
            "relativeLocation": pamir['relativeLocation'],
            "metadata": {
                "installedTimestamp": timestamp,
                "source": "vsix",
                "publisherDisplayName": "Pamir AI",
                "publisherId": "pamir-ai",
                "isPreReleaseVersion": False,
                "hasPreReleaseVersion": False,
                "preRelease": False
            }
        }
        extensions.append(new_ext)
        print(f"Added: {pamir['id']}")
    else:
        print(f"Already exists: {pamir['id']}")

# Write back to extensions.json
with open('/home/distiller/.vscode-server/extensions/extensions.json', 'w') as f:
    json.dump(extensions, f)

print(f"\nUpdated extensions.json with {len(extensions)} total extensions")
EOF

python3 /tmp/update_extensions.py
Step 3: Reload VS Code

After running the script, reload VS Code to load the extensions:

  • Press Ctrl+Shift+P (or Cmd+Shift+P on macOS)
  • Run “Developer: Reload Window”

The Distiller extensions should now appear in your Extensions panel and be fully functional.

Troubleshooting

Cannot connect to Distiller

  1. Verify SSH works from terminal first:

    ssh distiller@DISTILLER_IP

    If this fails, the issue is with SSH, not VS Code.

  2. Check network connectivity:

    ping DISTILLER_IP

  3. Verify SSH key is copied correctly:

    ssh -v distiller@DISTILLER_IP

    Look for “Authenticated” in the verbose output.

VS Code Server fails to install

On the Distiller, ensure there’s enough disk space:

df -h

You can also try removing the existing VS Code Server and reconnecting:

rm -rf ~/.vscode-server

Extensions not loading after copy

  1. Make sure the extensions were copied successfully:

    ls ~/.vscode-server/extensions/ | grep pamir

  2. Reload VS Code window: Ctrl+Shift+P → “Developer: Reload Window”

  3. If still not working, restart the VS Code Server:

    • Close VS Code
    • On Distiller: pkill -f vscode-server
    • Reconnect from VS Code