> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.zerotwo.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# WSL

When you use WSL2, ZeroCode runs inside the Linux environment instead of using the
native [Windows sandbox](/windows/windows-sandbox). Choose WSL2 when you need Linux-native
tooling, your repositories and developer workflow already live in WSL2, or
neither native Windows sandbox mode works for your environment.

WSL1 was supported through ZeroCode `0.114`. Starting in ZeroCode `0.115`, the Linux
sandbox moved to `bubblewrap`, so WSL1 is no longer supported.

## Launch the ZeroTwo desktop app from inside WSL

For step-by-step instructions, see the [official the ZeroTwo desktop app WSL tutorial](https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/remote/wsl-tutorial).

### Prerequisites

* Windows with WSL installed. To install WSL, open PowerShell as an administrator, then run `wsl --install` (Ubuntu is a common choice).
* the ZeroTwo desktop app with the [WSL extension](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=ms-vscode-remote.remote-wsl) installed.

### Open the ZeroTwo desktop app from a WSL terminal

```bash theme={null}
# From your WSL shell
cd ~/code/your-project
code .
```

This opens a WSL remote window, installs the the ZeroTwo desktop app Server if needed, and ensures integrated terminals run in Linux.

### Confirm you're connected to WSL

* Look for the green status bar that shows `WSL: <distro>`.
* Integrated terminals should display Linux paths (such as `/home/...`) instead of `C:\`.
* You can verify with:

```bash theme={null}
  echo $WSL_DISTRO_NAME
```

This prints your distribution name.

If you don't see "WSL: ..." in the status bar, press `Ctrl+Shift+P`, pick
`WSL: Reopen Folder in WSL`, and keep your repository under `/home/...` (not
`C:\`) for best performance.

If the Windows app or project picker does not show your WSL repository, type
`\\wsl$` into the file picker or Explorer, then navigate to your
distro's home directory.

<Frame>
  <img className="block dark:hidden" src="https://mintcdn.com/zerotwo/ZBhLkrISRhtFImug/images/codex/windows/wsl-select-light.webp?fit=max&auto=format&n=ZBhLkrISRhtFImug&q=85&s=ec3653beff48290aa63005312e0569c1" alt="ZeroTwo Windows agent selector with Windows native and WSL options" width="787" height="442" data-path="images/codex/windows/wsl-select-light.webp" />

  <img className="hidden dark:block" src="https://mintcdn.com/zerotwo/ZBhLkrISRhtFImug/images/codex/windows/wsl-select-dark.webp?fit=max&auto=format&n=ZBhLkrISRhtFImug&q=85&s=6279a39df1a6b19c912901c1d2f2e2cf" alt="ZeroTwo Windows agent selector with Windows native and WSL options" width="787" height="442" data-path="images/codex/windows/wsl-select-dark.webp" />
</Frame>

## Use ZeroTwo desktop app with WSL

Run these commands from an elevated PowerShell or Windows Terminal:

```powershell theme={null}
# Install default Linux distribution (like Ubuntu)
wsl --install

# Start a shell inside Windows Subsystem for Linux
wsl
```

Then run these commands from your WSL shell:

```bash theme={null}
# Install and run ZeroCode in WSL
curl -fsSL https://zerotwo.ai/zerocode/install.sh | sh
zerocode
```

## Work on code inside WSL

* Working in Windows-mounted paths like `/mnt/c/...` can be slower than working in Windows-native paths. Keep your repositories under your Linux home directory (like `~/code/my-app`) for faster I/O and fewer symlink and permission issues:

```bash theme={null}
  mkdir -p ~/code && cd ~/code
  git clone https://github.com/your/repo.git
  cd repo
```

* If you need Windows access to files, they're under `\\wsl$\Ubuntu\home\&lt;user&gt;` in Explorer.

## Troubleshooting and FAQ

Large repositories feel slow in WSL

* Make sure you're not working under `/mnt/c`. Move the repository to WSL (for example, `~/code/...`).
* Increase memory and CPU for WSL if needed; update WSL to the latest version:

```powershell theme={null}
  wsl --update
  wsl --shutdown
```

the ZeroTwo desktop app in WSL cannot find zerocode

Verify the binary exists and is on `PATH` inside WSL:

```bash theme={null}
which zerocode || echo "zerocode not found"
```

If the binary isn't found, follow the [ZeroTwo desktop app setup instructions](#use-zerocode-cli-with-wsl).