What is the idle timeout for VS Code Remote - Tunnels server?

Question

GoalDetermine the idle timeout that causes the VS Code Remote - Tunnels server to shut down when a tunnel is inactive, so that low‑traffic development workloads can rely on predictable server availability without incurring unnecessary compute costs.UncertaintyThe extension’s documentation does not specify the timeout value, and no user‑exposed setting exists in the Settings UI. Reported observations vary, leaving the exact duration and any possible configuration method unclear.What is the default idle timeout for the Remote - Tunnels server? Can the timeout be adjusted through a setting, environment variable, or command‑line flag?

Tasadduq Burney · Answer

AnswerThere is no officially documented idle timeout that causes the VS Code Remote - Tunnels server to shut down solely due to inactivity. The server process does not include a built‑in inactivity timer, and no user‑exposed setting, environment variable, or code tunnel CLI flag exists to configure such a timeout.Likely explanationObserved shutdowns are usually caused by factors external to the tunnel server:
  Host machine sleep, hibernate, or power‑saving settings.
  Network NAT or firewall idle timers that drop the underlying tunnel connection.
  Periodic refresh of the tunnel token or service registration, which may appear as a restart if the host process is terminated.
  Updates to the Remote - Tunnels extension or CLI that restart the server.
Because the tunnel registration (the Azure Relay/devtunnels connection) can remain active while the local server process idles, the perceived "timeout" often reflects the host OS or network behavior rather than a server‑side idle threshold.Steps to verify on your system
  Run code tunnel --help and confirm that no idle/timeout‑related flags are listed.
  Start a tunnel interactively (code tunnel), connect once, then disconnect.
  Monitor the tunnel status with code tunnel status or attempt to reconnect at regular intervals (e.g., every 5 minutes) while keeping the host awake.
  Check OS power settings and system logs (journalctl on Linux, Event Viewer on Windows) around any observed shutdown to rule out sleep/hibernate.
Practical recommendationIf you need predictable availability for low‑traffic workloads, control the server lifecycle externally:
  Run code tunnel service install to manage the server as a system service, letting your service manager or host orchestration handle start/stop.
  Or automate start/stop of the tunnel (or the host VM) based on a schedule or on‑demand triggers.
To tailor this advice, please let me know: are you running the tunnel as a background service or interactively?

What is the idle timeout for VS Code Remote - Tunnels server?

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Steps to verify on your system

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