Qwen Code setup

Qwen Code is an open-source coding agent that can understand a project, edit files, run commands, and invoke tools from a terminal. Its OpenAI-compatible provider support lets those requests run through Lumoswitch.

The API configuration must enable OpenAI-compatible output, and the target model should support streaming and Tool / Function Calling. The CLI commands below target Bash or Zsh on macOS and Linux. Before continuing, confirm that qwen --version returns a version number.

Choose a setup method

Method	Best for	Local writes	Still active after exit?
One-time launch	Testing a URL, Key, or model	Temporary Lumoswitch settings file	No
Persistent use	Everyday terminal use	Native configuration + optional launcher and settings file	Yes
IDE Companion	Connecting an editor to the current Qwen Code CLI	Reuses the current CLI process	Depends on the CLI method
Native VS Code sidebar	Running the agent directly in the extension	User-level Qwen Code provider configuration	Yes

Qwen Code has no standalone official desktop app. Its official VS Code Extension Beta can either connect to a current CLI process or start a native sidebar agent. Those two paths have different configuration boundaries, as explained below.

Prepare the connection values

Placeholder	Value
`{{api_base_url}}`	The OpenAI-compatible request URL shown by the API configuration; it should end in `/v1`
`{{access_key}}`	The API configuration's Access Key
`{{model}}`	The client-facing model name shown by the API configuration
`{{qwen_settings_json}}`	Complete Qwen Code settings generated from effective reasoning capabilities

Commands copied from the console already contain real values. Each model receives its own generationConfig.reasoning: adjustable models get a safe default effort, known non-reasoning models are disabled, and unknown or fixed-reasoning models receive no control field.

One-time launch

Run this command in the project where you want to use Qwen Code. It creates a temporary provider catalog for that process and passes the Key through its environment. The catalog is deleted on exit and does not change user-level or project-level Qwen Code configuration.

(
  set -e
  LUMOSWITCH_QWEN_SETTINGS="$(mktemp "${TMPDIR:-/tmp}/lumoswitch-qwen.XXXXXX")"
  trap 'rm -f "$LUMOSWITCH_QWEN_SETTINGS"' EXIT
  printf '%s\n' '{{qwen_settings_json}}' > "$LUMOSWITCH_QWEN_SETTINGS"
  chmod 600 "$LUMOSWITCH_QWEN_SETTINGS"
  env \
    LUMOSWITCH_QWEN_API_KEY="{{access_key}}" \
    QWEN_CODE_SYSTEM_SETTINGS_PATH="$LUMOSWITCH_QWEN_SETTINGS" \
    qwen --auth-type openai --model "{{model}}"
)

Persistent use

Run the complete command during initial setup and whenever the Lumoswitch URL, Access Key, or model changes. It writes Qwen Code-supported system settings and a managed environment without overwriting existing configuration, then saves an optional Lumoswitch maintenance launcher.

Persistent import stores the Access Key in an owner-only managed environment or Agent configuration file. Use it only on a trusted personal device.

set -e
LUMOSWITCH_ROOT="$HOME/.config/lumoswitch/agents/qwen-code"
LUMOSWITCH_ENV="$LUMOSWITCH_ROOT/env.sh"
LUMOSWITCH_LAUNCHER="$HOME/.local/bin/lumoswitch-qwen-code"
mkdir -p "$LUMOSWITCH_ROOT" "$(dirname "$LUMOSWITCH_LAUNCHER")"
umask 077

if [ -f "$LUMOSWITCH_LAUNCHER" ]; then
  LUMOSWITCH_BACKUP="$LUMOSWITCH_LAUNCHER.backup.$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S)-$$"
  cp "$LUMOSWITCH_LAUNCHER" "$LUMOSWITCH_BACKUP"
  chmod 600 "$LUMOSWITCH_BACKUP"
fi

LUMOSWITCH_QWEN_SETTINGS="$LUMOSWITCH_ROOT/settings.json"
printf '%s\n' '{{qwen_settings_json}}' > "$LUMOSWITCH_QWEN_SETTINGS"

cat > "$LUMOSWITCH_ENV" <<'LUMOSWITCH_ENV_EOF'
export QWEN_CODE_SYSTEM_SETTINGS_PATH="$HOME/.config/lumoswitch/agents/qwen-code/settings.json"
export LUMOSWITCH_QWEN_API_KEY="{{access_key}}"
export LUMOSWITCH_QWEN_MODEL="{{model}}"
LUMOSWITCH_ENV_EOF

case "$SHELL" in
  */zsh) LUMOSWITCH_PROFILE="$HOME/.zshrc" ;;
  */bash) LUMOSWITCH_PROFILE="$HOME/.bashrc" ;;
  *) LUMOSWITCH_PROFILE="$HOME/.profile" ;;
esac
touch "$LUMOSWITCH_PROFILE"
LUMOSWITCH_PROFILE_MARKER='# Lumoswitch Agent: qwen-code'
LUMOSWITCH_SOURCE_LINE='[ -f "$HOME/.config/lumoswitch/agents/qwen-code/env.sh" ] && . "$HOME/.config/lumoswitch/agents/qwen-code/env.sh"'
if ! grep -Fqx "$LUMOSWITCH_SOURCE_LINE" "$LUMOSWITCH_PROFILE"; then
  printf '\n%s\n%s\n' "$LUMOSWITCH_PROFILE_MARKER" "$LUMOSWITCH_SOURCE_LINE" >> "$LUMOSWITCH_PROFILE"
fi
printf '%s\n' "$LUMOSWITCH_PROFILE" > "$LUMOSWITCH_ROOT/profile-path"

cat > "$LUMOSWITCH_LAUNCHER" <<'LUMOSWITCH_LAUNCHER_EOF'
#!/usr/bin/env bash
set -e
LUMOSWITCH_ROOT="$HOME/.config/lumoswitch/agents/qwen-code"
LUMOSWITCH_ENV="$LUMOSWITCH_ROOT/env.sh"
LUMOSWITCH_LAUNCHER="$HOME/.local/bin/lumoswitch-qwen-code"

if [ "$1" = "--lumoswitch-clean" ]; then
  if [ -f "$LUMOSWITCH_ROOT/profile-path" ]; then
    LUMOSWITCH_PROFILE="$(cat "$LUMOSWITCH_ROOT/profile-path")"
    if [ -f "$LUMOSWITCH_PROFILE" ]; then
      LUMOSWITCH_PROFILE_MARKER='# Lumoswitch Agent: qwen-code'
      LUMOSWITCH_SOURCE_LINE='[ -f "$HOME/.config/lumoswitch/agents/qwen-code/env.sh" ] && . "$HOME/.config/lumoswitch/agents/qwen-code/env.sh"'
      LUMOSWITCH_PROFILE_TMP="$LUMOSWITCH_PROFILE.lumoswitch.$$"
      awk -v marker="$LUMOSWITCH_PROFILE_MARKER" -v source="$LUMOSWITCH_SOURCE_LINE" '$0 != marker && $0 != source' "$LUMOSWITCH_PROFILE" > "$LUMOSWITCH_PROFILE_TMP"
      mv "$LUMOSWITCH_PROFILE_TMP" "$LUMOSWITCH_PROFILE"
    fi
  fi
  if [ -d "$LUMOSWITCH_ROOT" ]; then
    find "$LUMOSWITCH_ROOT" -depth \( -type f -o -type l \) -delete
    find "$LUMOSWITCH_ROOT" -depth -type d -exec rmdir {} \; 2>/dev/null || true
  fi
  find "$(dirname "$LUMOSWITCH_LAUNCHER")" -maxdepth 1 -type f -name 'lumoswitch-qwen-code.backup.*' -delete
  rm -f "$LUMOSWITCH_LAUNCHER"
  printf '%s\n' 'Lumoswitch native setup and optional launcher removed. Open a new terminal to refresh the environment.'
  exit 0
fi

if [ -f "$LUMOSWITCH_ENV" ]; then . "$LUMOSWITCH_ENV"; fi
exec qwen "$@"
LUMOSWITCH_LAUNCHER_EOF

chmod 600 "$LUMOSWITCH_ENV"
find "$LUMOSWITCH_ROOT" -type f -exec chmod 600 {} \;
chmod 700 "$LUMOSWITCH_LAUNCHER"
. "$LUMOSWITCH_ENV"
printf '%s\n' 'Native Lumoswitch setup saved. Future command: qwen'
printf '%s\n' 'Optional maintenance launcher: ~/.local/bin/lumoswitch-qwen-code'
qwen

For later sessions, run:

qwen

You can append normal Qwen Code arguments. Before an update, the installer keeps a timestamped copy of the old launcher with 0600 permissions.

Native Windows PowerShell import

These commands run natively in Windows PowerShell without WSL and use the same connection values as the macOS/Linux templates on this page.

One-time use on Windows

& {
  $ErrorActionPreference = 'Stop'
  $lumoswitchConfig = Join-Path ([IO.Path]::GetTempPath()) ('lumoswitch-' + [Guid]::NewGuid().ToString('N') + '.json')
  $lumoswitchConfigContent = @'
{{qwen_settings_json}}
'@
  [IO.File]::WriteAllText($lumoswitchConfig, $lumoswitchConfigContent, [Text.UTF8Encoding]::new($false))
  $lumoswitchEnvironmentNames = @('LUMOSWITCH_QWEN_API_KEY', 'QWEN_CODE_SYSTEM_SETTINGS_PATH')
  $lumoswitchPreviousEnvironment = @{}
  foreach ($lumoswitchName in $lumoswitchEnvironmentNames) {
    $lumoswitchPreviousEnvironment[$lumoswitchName] = [Environment]::GetEnvironmentVariable($lumoswitchName, 'Process')
  }
  $lumoswitchExitCode = 0
  try {
    [Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable('LUMOSWITCH_QWEN_API_KEY', '{{access_key}}', 'Process')
    [Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable('QWEN_CODE_SYSTEM_SETTINGS_PATH', $lumoswitchConfig, 'Process')
    $lumoswitchArguments = @('--auth-type', 'openai', '--model', '{{model}}')
    $lumoswitchExecutable = Get-Command 'qwen.cmd' -CommandType Application -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
    if ($null -eq $lumoswitchExecutable) { $lumoswitchExecutable = Get-Command 'qwen' -CommandType Application -ErrorAction Stop }
    & $lumoswitchExecutable.Path @lumoswitchArguments
    if ($null -ne $LASTEXITCODE) { $lumoswitchExitCode = $LASTEXITCODE }
  } finally {
    foreach ($lumoswitchName in $lumoswitchEnvironmentNames) {
      [Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable($lumoswitchName, $lumoswitchPreviousEnvironment[$lumoswitchName], 'Process')
    }
    Remove-Item -LiteralPath $lumoswitchConfig -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
  }
  if ($lumoswitchExitCode -ne 0) { throw 'qwen exited with code ' + $lumoswitchExitCode }
}

Persistent use on Windows

This command backs up existing Lumoswitch-owned files and restricts access to the configuration and launcher for the current user.

& {
  $ErrorActionPreference = 'Stop'
  $lumoswitchRoot = Join-Path $env:LOCALAPPDATA 'Lumoswitch\agents\qwen-code'
  $lumoswitchLauncher = Join-Path $env:LOCALAPPDATA 'Lumoswitch\bin\lumoswitch-qwen-code.ps1'
  $lumoswitchBackupSuffix = (Get-Date -Format 'yyyyMMdd-HHmmss') + '-' + $PID

  function Protect-LumoswitchFile([string] $Path) {
    $lumoswitchSid = [Security.Principal.WindowsIdentity]::GetCurrent().User.Value
    & icacls.exe $Path '/inheritance:r' '/grant:r' ('*' + $lumoswitchSid + ':(F)') '*S-1-5-18:(F)' '*S-1-5-32-544:(F)' | Out-Null
    if ($LASTEXITCODE -ne 0) { throw "Could not restrict access to $Path" }
  }

  function Install-LumoswitchFile([string] $Path, [string] $Content) {
    [IO.Directory]::CreateDirectory((Split-Path -Parent $Path)) | Out-Null
    if (Test-Path -LiteralPath $Path) {
      $lumoswitchItem = Get-Item -LiteralPath $Path -Force
      if ($lumoswitchItem.PSIsContainer -or ($lumoswitchItem.Attributes -band [IO.FileAttributes]::ReparsePoint)) {
        throw "Lumoswitch refused to replace a directory or link: $Path"
      }
      $lumoswitchBackup = $Path + '.backup.' + $lumoswitchBackupSuffix
      Copy-Item -LiteralPath $Path -Destination $lumoswitchBackup
      Protect-LumoswitchFile $lumoswitchBackup
    }
    $lumoswitchTemporary = $Path + '.' + [Guid]::NewGuid().ToString('N') + '.tmp'
    try {
      [IO.File]::WriteAllText($lumoswitchTemporary, $Content, [Text.UTF8Encoding]::new($false))
      Move-Item -LiteralPath $lumoswitchTemporary -Destination $Path -Force
      Protect-LumoswitchFile $Path
    } finally {
      Remove-Item -LiteralPath $lumoswitchTemporary -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
    }
  }

  [IO.Directory]::CreateDirectory($lumoswitchRoot) | Out-Null
  $lumoswitchQwenSettings = Join-Path $lumoswitchRoot 'settings.json'
  Install-LumoswitchFile $lumoswitchQwenSettings '{{qwen_settings_json}}'

  $lumoswitchEnvironment = [ordered]@{}
  $lumoswitchEnvironment['QWEN_CODE_SYSTEM_SETTINGS_PATH'] = (Join-Path $lumoswitchRoot 'settings.json')
  $lumoswitchEnvironment['LUMOSWITCH_QWEN_API_KEY'] = '{{access_key}}'
  $lumoswitchEnvironment['LUMOSWITCH_QWEN_MODEL'] = '{{model}}'
  foreach ($lumoswitchEntry in $lumoswitchEnvironment.GetEnumerator()) {
    [Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable($lumoswitchEntry.Key, $lumoswitchEntry.Value, 'User')
    [Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable($lumoswitchEntry.Key, $lumoswitchEntry.Value, 'Process')
  }

  $lumoswitchLauncherContent = @'
param([Parameter(ValueFromRemainingArguments = $true)][string[]] $AgentArgs)
$ErrorActionPreference = 'Stop'
$lumoswitchRoot = Join-Path $env:LOCALAPPDATA 'Lumoswitch\agents\qwen-code'
$lumoswitchLauncher = Join-Path $env:LOCALAPPDATA 'Lumoswitch\bin\lumoswitch-qwen-code.ps1'

function Remove-LumoswitchFile([string] $Path) {
  if (-not (Test-Path -LiteralPath $Path)) { return }
  $lumoswitchItem = Get-Item -LiteralPath $Path -Force
  if ($lumoswitchItem.PSIsContainer -or ($lumoswitchItem.Attributes -band [IO.FileAttributes]::ReparsePoint)) {
    throw "Lumoswitch refused to remove a directory or link: $Path"
  }
  Remove-Item -LiteralPath $Path -Force
}

if ($AgentArgs.Count -gt 0 -and $AgentArgs[0] -eq '--lumoswitch-clean') {
  foreach ($lumoswitchName in @('QWEN_CODE_SYSTEM_SETTINGS_PATH', 'LUMOSWITCH_QWEN_API_KEY', 'LUMOSWITCH_QWEN_MODEL')) {
    [Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable($lumoswitchName, $null, 'User')
    [Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable($lumoswitchName, $null, 'Process')
  }
  if (Test-Path -LiteralPath $lumoswitchRoot -PathType Container) {
    $lumoswitchRootItem = Get-Item -LiteralPath $lumoswitchRoot -Force
    if ($lumoswitchRootItem.Attributes -band [IO.FileAttributes]::ReparsePoint) { throw 'Lumoswitch refused to clean through a linked directory.' }
    foreach ($lumoswitchFile in @(Get-ChildItem -LiteralPath $lumoswitchRoot -File -Recurse -Force)) { Remove-LumoswitchFile $lumoswitchFile.FullName }
    foreach ($lumoswitchDirectory in @(Get-ChildItem -LiteralPath $lumoswitchRoot -Directory -Recurse -Force | Sort-Object FullName -Descending)) {
      if ($null -eq (Get-ChildItem -LiteralPath $lumoswitchDirectory.FullName -Force | Select-Object -First 1)) { Remove-Item -LiteralPath $lumoswitchDirectory.FullName -Force }
    }
    if ($null -eq (Get-ChildItem -LiteralPath $lumoswitchRoot -Force | Select-Object -First 1)) { Remove-Item -LiteralPath $lumoswitchRoot -Force }
  }
  $lumoswitchBin = Split-Path -Parent $lumoswitchLauncher
  if (Test-Path -LiteralPath $lumoswitchBin -PathType Container) {
    foreach ($lumoswitchBackup in @(Get-ChildItem -LiteralPath $lumoswitchBin -Filter 'lumoswitch-qwen-code.ps1.backup.*' -File -Force)) { Remove-LumoswitchFile $lumoswitchBackup.FullName }
  }
  Remove-LumoswitchFile $lumoswitchLauncher
  Write-Host 'Lumoswitch native setup and optional launcher removed. Open a new terminal to refresh the environment.'
  exit 0
}

$lumoswitchEnvironment = [ordered]@{}
$lumoswitchEnvironment['QWEN_CODE_SYSTEM_SETTINGS_PATH'] = (Join-Path $lumoswitchRoot 'settings.json')
$lumoswitchEnvironment['LUMOSWITCH_QWEN_API_KEY'] = '{{access_key}}'
$lumoswitchEnvironment['LUMOSWITCH_QWEN_MODEL'] = '{{model}}'
foreach ($lumoswitchEntry in $lumoswitchEnvironment.GetEnumerator()) {
  [Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable($lumoswitchEntry.Key, $lumoswitchEntry.Value, 'Process')
}
$lumoswitchExecutable = Get-Command 'qwen.cmd' -CommandType Application -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
if ($null -eq $lumoswitchExecutable) { $lumoswitchExecutable = Get-Command 'qwen.exe' -CommandType Application -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue }
if ($null -eq $lumoswitchExecutable) { $lumoswitchExecutable = Get-Command 'qwen' -CommandType Application -ErrorAction Stop }
$lumoswitchArguments = @()
& $lumoswitchExecutable.Path @lumoswitchArguments @AgentArgs
if ($null -ne $LASTEXITCODE) { exit $LASTEXITCODE }
'@
  Install-LumoswitchFile $lumoswitchLauncher $lumoswitchLauncherContent
  Write-Host 'Native Lumoswitch setup saved. Future command: qwen'
  Write-Host 'Optional maintenance launcher:' $lumoswitchLauncher
  $lumoswitchExecutable = Get-Command 'qwen.cmd' -CommandType Application -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
  if ($null -eq $lumoswitchExecutable) { $lumoswitchExecutable = Get-Command 'qwen.exe' -CommandType Application -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue }
  if ($null -eq $lumoswitchExecutable) { $lumoswitchExecutable = Get-Command 'qwen' -CommandType Application -ErrorAction Stop }
  $lumoswitchArguments = @()
  & $lumoswitchExecutable.Path @lumoswitchArguments
  if ($null -ne $LASTEXITCODE -and $LASTEXITCODE -ne 0) { throw 'qwen exited with code ' + $LASTEXITCODE }
}

The import writes the Agent-supported persistent configuration and starts qwen directly. The saved Lumoswitch maintenance script is not required to start the Agent; run it with --lumoswitch-clean when you need to restore or remove this setup.

Remove the CLI setup

Windows PowerShell

Exit every Lumoswitch session for this Agent, then run the command below. The optional maintenance launcher removes the managed native configuration, restores any preserved shared file, clears Lumoswitch user environment values, and removes itself.

& {
  $lumoswitchLauncher = Join-Path $env:LOCALAPPDATA 'Lumoswitch\bin\lumoswitch-qwen-code.ps1'
  if (-not (Test-Path -LiteralPath $lumoswitchLauncher -PathType Leaf)) {
    throw 'The optional Lumoswitch maintenance launcher is missing. Run persistent import again before cleanup.'
  }
  & powershell.exe -NoLogo -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File $lumoswitchLauncher --lumoswitch-clean
}

macOS / Linux

This command removes the managed Qwen settings path, environment hook, optional launcher, and backups. It does not remove ~/.qwen/settings.json, Qwen Code sign-in state, history, or other user configuration.

"$HOME/.local/bin/lumoswitch-qwen-code" --lumoswitch-clean

The one-time command deletes its temporary settings file on exit and leaves nothing in the current terminal. If you manually exported LUMOSWITCH_QWEN_API_KEY, close that terminal window; it is not unset automatically because another Lumoswitch tool in the same terminal may share it.

VS Code and IDE Companion

Connect the current CLI

Start Qwen Code with this page's command, then follow the official IDE Integration flow to connect the Companion to the current CLI process. It continues using the current Lumoswitch URL, Key, and model without storing a second credential. A one-time setup expires when that CLI process exits.

The native extension sidebar starts Qwen Code itself and does not guarantee that it will invoke ~/.local/bin/lumoswitch-qwen-code. To use Lumoswitch directly in the sidebar, merge this model entry into the openai array in user-level ~/.qwen/settings.json. Do not replace existing model entries or the whole settings file.

{
  "modelProviders": {
    "openai": [
      {
        "id": "{{model}}",
        "name": "Lumoswitch · {{model}}",
        "envKey": "LUMOSWITCH_QWEN_API_KEY",
        "baseUrl": "{{api_base_url}}"
      }
    ]
  },
  "security": {
    "auth": {
      "selectedType": "openai"
    }
  },
  "model": {
    "name": "{{model}}"
  }
}

Then provide LUMOSWITCH_QWEN_API_KEY={{access_key}} in the user environment read by Qwen Code or in ~/.qwen/.env, and fully restart the extension. Never place a real Key in a project file that can be committed to Git.

The native sidebar has persistent setup only. There is no reliable one-time launch command because the extension reads a stored provider and its own launch environment. Removing the CLI launcher also does not edit this user-owned configuration. To remove sidebar access, delete only the Lumoswitch entry you added to modelProviders.openai, remove the matching LUMOSWITCH_QWEN_API_KEY line, and select another model. No automatic removal command is provided here because a generic script could corrupt shared JSON, .env, or unrelated providers.

See Qwen Code VS Code integration, IDE Integration, and model provider configuration.

Verify and troubleshoot

Start with a simple request, then test file reads and tool calls. Confirm the model and Access Key in Lumoswitch request logs.
404: check whether /v1 is missing or duplicated in the downstream URL.
The IDE uses its default model: verify that the Companion is attached to the current CLI; the native sidebar needs the separate user-level provider entry.
A project-level .qwen/settings.json can override user-level settings. Fully restart the extension after a change.

Maintainer publishing fields

Platform ID: qwen-code
Display name: Qwen Code CLI
Downstream protocol: openai-compatible
commandTemplate: copy the complete code block under "One-time launch"
Persistence strategy: native
persistentCommandTemplate: copy the complete setup command under "Persistent use"
futureCommand: qwen
Display order: 60
Last verified: 2026-08-27

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