Multi Terminal Runner

A VS Code extension that allows you to run multiple commands in separate terminals with a single click — with a simple UI.

Features

• Automatically detects npm/yarn scripts from package.json
• Run selected or all commands in parallel terminals
• Visual Command Manager UI with checkboxes
• Each command runs in its own terminal
• Optionally configure custom commands via settings
• Supports specifying working directory per command

Demo

Usage

Open the Command Manager UI

1. Open the command palette:

Ctrl+Shift+P / Cmd+Shift+P → Multi Terminal Runner: Open Command Manager

2. The webview UI will display a list of commands:

• Auto-detected from your package.json scripts
• User-defined from VS Code settings

3. Check the boxes next to the commands you want to run, or click Run beside any command.
4. Click Run Selected to execute all selected commands in separate terminals.

Optional: Add Custom Commands

If your project uses other tools (e.g., Python, Django, Bash), you can define commands manually in your VS Code settings.

Example:

{
  "multiCmdTerminal.commands": [
    {
      "name": "Start Frontend",
      "command": "npm run dev",
      "cwd": "${workspaceFolder}/frontend"
    },
    {
      "name": "Start Backend",
      "command": "python main.py",
      "cwd": "${workspaceFolder}/backend"
    }
  ]
}

Configuration

Each command has the following properties:

• name: A descriptive label for the terminal
• command: The shell command to execute
• cwd: (Optional) Working directory to run the command in

Extension Settings

This extension contributes the following setting:

• multiCmdTerminal.commands: An array of custom commands to be run in separate terminals

Requirements

• Visual Studio Code version ^1.85.0 or later

Future Improvements

• Support for detecting commands from Django, FastAPI, and other frameworks
• Save last used command selections
• Command history and logging