Updating CodeQL CLI stalls EVERY TIME visual studio code is opened

Describe the bug
Every time I open Visual Studio Code a pop-up appears:

Updating CodeQL CLI: Extracting CodeQL CLI v2.26.o... [658.2MB of 658.8 MB]
Source: CodeQL

But the download/extract never seems to finish.

From the Output log, it seems that the download did finish and the CodeQL CLI is being extracted:

Starting GitHub.vscode-codeql extension
INFO: Could not find CodeQL on path.
INFO: Could not find CodeQL on path.
Searching for latest release including codeql-win64.zip.
Extracting CodeQL CLI to c:\Users\JesseHouwing\AppData\Roaming\Code\User\globalStorage\github.vscode-codeql\distribution15

Version
Identifier
github.vscode-codeql
Version
1.17.7
Last Updated
4 days ago

Version: 1.128.0 (user setup)
Commit: fc3def6774c76082adf699d366f31a557ce5573f
Date: 2026-07-07T15:14:24-07:00
Electron: 42.5.0
ElectronBuildId: 14525058
Chromium: 148.0.7778.271
Node.js: 24.17.0
V8: 14.8.178.33-electron.0
OS: Windows_NT x64 10.0.26200

To reproduce
Open any visual studio code window, a notification toast appears and the download starts. But never seems to finish.

Expected behavior
Either the download completes correctly and installation completes
Or I get a clear message helping me figure out what's wrong.

Additional context
Add any other context about the problem here.

I've got the same issue. And the "Updating CodeQL CLI..." dialog is blocking parts of the GitHub Copilot pane.

I've got the same issue. And the "Updating CodeQL CLI..." dialog is blocking parts of the GitHub Copilot pane.

You can make that go away by clicking the little bell icon:

I have the same problem.

Extensions logs:

Starting GitHub.vscode-codeql extension
INFO: Could not find CodeQL on path.
INFO: Could not find CodeQL on path.
Searching for latest release including codeql-linux64.zip.
Extracting CodeQL CLI to /home/user/.config/Code/User/globalStorage/github.vscode-codeql/distribution10

The notification is stuck at the following:

VS Code Version:
Version: 1.128.0
Commit: fc3def6774c76082adf699d366f31a557ce5573f
Date: 2026-07-07T15:14:24-07:00
Electron: 42.5.0
ElectronBuildId: 14525058
Chromium: 148.0.7778.271
Node.js: 24.17.0
V8: 14.8.178.33-electron.0
OS: Linux x64 7.0.14-1.qubes.fc41.x86_64

Thanks for the report. We're seeing the same problem internally and we are investigating it.

In the meantime, if you're keen on using the latest CodeQL version, here's a workaround.

Install the CodeQL CLI by yourself, following the instructions here: https://docs.github.com/en/code-security/how-tos/find-and-fix-code-vulnerabilities/scan-from-the-command-line/set-up-codeql-cli
Go the the VSCode settings and change the CodeQL Cli: Executable Path setting to point to where you installed the CodeQL cli binary. Here's a screenshot:

I was surprised this isn't available through Winget/choco/Microsoft Store on the windows side.

It is still happening to the latest release v1.128.1.

The fix has been merged, and we will make a release in the next few days to make the fix available.

Navigation Menu

Repository navigation

Updating CodeQL CLI stalls EVERY TIME visual studio code is opened #4453

Metadata

Assignees

Labels

Type

Projects

Milestone

Relationships

Development

Updating CodeQL CLI stalls EVERY TIME visual studio code is opened #4453

Description

Activity

TobiasHeckAtos commented on Jul 13, 2026

jessehouwing commented on Jul 13, 2026

fl0mb commented on Jul 14, 2026

josefs commented on Jul 14, 2026

jessehouwing commented on Jul 14, 2026

yodancristino commented on Jul 15, 2026

cklin commented on Jul 16, 2026

Metadata

Metadata

Assignees

Labels

Type

Projects

Milestone

Relationships

Development

Issue actions