VS Code 1.109.5 Adds Slash Commands and Session Renaming
The February 2026 update to Visual Studio Code, version 1.109.5, introduces several workflow enhancements. Developers can now use slash commands in prompt files to invoke built-in actions, more easily rename coding sessions for better organization, and use the Kitty terminal emulator’s enhanced keyboard features.
- The introduction of slash commands follows a major focus in the January 2026 update (v1.109) on turning VS Code into a "home for multi-agent development," which included features for managing multiple AI agent sessions at once. - Slash commands are a common feature in chat applications and other AI-powered developer tools, like Claude Code, designed to speed up workflows by providing shortcuts to common actions without needing to navigate menus. - The support for the Kitty keyboard protocol is a significant upgrade for the integrated terminal, resolving long-standing ambiguities where different key combinations, such as `Ctrl+I` and the `Tab` key, would register as the same input. - The Kitty protocol allows for more advanced keyboard interactions by distinguishing between key presses, releases, and repeats, and supporting more modifier keys beyond just Ctrl and Alt. - This enhancement brings VS Code's terminal capabilities in line with other modern, standalone terminal emulators that also support the protocol, including Alacritty, iTerm2, and WezTerm. - The ability to rename coding sessions is directly related to the new agent session management features, which allow a developer to run multiple AI tasks concurrently across local and cloud environments and need a way to track them. - Visual Studio Code is developed with a monthly release cadence, where major new features and bug fixes are consistently shipped to users.
