VSCode Integrated Terminal Doesn't Load .bashrc or .bash_profile

Question

I have the following files to handle shell configuration:

#~/.bash_profile
if [ -f ~/.bashrc ]; then
   source ~/.bashrc
fi

and

#~/.bashrc
... configure shell

If I open VSCode from the command line using code, my .bashrc is loaded whenever I add a new instance of the integrated shell.

However if I open VSCode via its icon, only my .profile is loaded.

How can I ensure my .bashrc is loaded instead?

I've tried various settings for the terminal.integrated.shellArgs.osx setting without any luck.

Answer 1

Simply add shell arguments to the VsCode settings.json file.

Paths to the settings.json file are as follows:

Windows: C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\Code\User\settings.json`

Linux:   $HOME/.config/Code/User/settings.json

Mac:     $HOME/Library/Application\ Support/Code/User/settings.json

Add one of the following:

"terminal.integrated.shellArgs.windows": ["-l"],

"terminal.integrated.shellArgs.linux": ["-l"],

"terminal.integrated.shellArgs.osx": ["-l"],

This will launch your shell of choice with the login argument. This will thus execute any user profile that is setup.

Answer 2

VSCode has deprecated "terminal.integrated.shellArgs.osx" in favor of using profiles. This does the trick for bash in osx. Omit the first line if you don't want bash to be your default profile:

  "terminal.integrated.defaultProfile.osx": "bash",
  "terminal.integrated.profiles.osx": {
    "bash": {
      "path": "bash",
      "args": ["-l"]
    }
  }

Answer 3

Another possible solution that just worked for me. The settings.json file (whcih you can access in File > Preferences > Settings > Features > terminal > Integrated > Automation Shell: Linux) had a parameter

    "terminal.integrated.inheritEnv": false

set to false by default. Changing it to true fixed the problem in my case.

Answer 4

I had the same problem with the Intellij Idea terminal on a Mac, the solution is the same for both. In settings change the path to the integrated terminal to "/bin/bash". Hope that helps.

Answer 5

You could also try the following:

1 Create a file named /usr/local/bin/bash-login and add :

#!/bin/bash
bash -l

2 Run:

chmod +x /usr/local/bin/bash-login 

to make it executable.

3 On your VSC user settings add

   { "terminal.integrated.shell.osx": "/usr/local/bin/bash-login" }

The solution was described at https://github.com/Microsoft/vscode/issues/7263.

Hope it helps

Answer 6

I was having this issue too. But in my case I was on windows with Visual Studio code opening a remote dev env inside my CentOS WSL.

So fixing the configuration of this use case was a bit different. In the IDE open settings. Then at the top select "Remote [WSL: XXX]"

The scroll down to Integrated -> Profiles: Linux And click edit in settings.json

Then I added the following to the file:

"terminal.integrated.defaultProfile.linux": "bash",
"terminal.integrated.profiles.linux": {
    "bash": {
      "path": "bash",
      "args": ["-l"]
    }
  }

Save the settings file and the next terminal you open will respect your ~/.bash_profile. NOTE: my ~/.bash_profile had the same lines that someone else recommended adding to load the bashrc file in it already.

Answer 7

"terminal.integrated.shellArgs.osx": ["-l"] is deprecated.

I personally wanted to use .bash_profile, so I made a .bashrc with this:

if [ -f ~/.bashrc ]; then
   source ~/.bash_profile
fi

And then I had to do a full computer restart (just restarting VS code didn't work).

Answer 8

Bash will load various DotFiles sequentially:

1. ~/.bash_profile
2. ~/.bash_login
3. ~/.profile

If ~/.bash_profile been loaded, the second and third one will not be loaded.

If ~/.bash_profile is not loaded, bash will find second one. If ~/.bash_login been loaded, the third one will not be loaded.

If ~/.bash_profile and ~/.bash_login are both not loaded, Bash will try to load ~/.profile file.

A fresh Ubuntu installation will only contains ~/.profile file. So I think it will be better NOT to use the ~/.bash_profile to avoid issues happening. Just use the ~/.profile file. Then your VSCode won't need to config anything.

Answer 9

I see a lot of people recommending the -l parameter to bash but that didn't work for me. Instead use the -i parameter (interactive). This goes in your user settings file. This is for Mac OS. If on a different platform change osx to either linux or windows.

  "terminal.integrated.profiles.osx": {
        "bash": {
          "path": "bash",
          "args": ["-i"]
        }
    }