🐛 VS Code Biome Extension Fails to Detect Globally Installed Biome via Volta

[angelidis]

VS Code version

1.114

Extension version

3.6.1

Biome version

2.4.10

Operating system

• Windows
• macOS
• Linux

Description

I installed biome using volta:

volta install @biomejs/biome

it's globally available, confirmed by running

> biome --version
Version: 2.4.10

i input the following settings in the settings.json

  "editor.defaultFormatter": "biomejs.biome",
  "biome.lsp.bin": "%LOCALAPPDATA%\\Volta\\bin\\biome.cmd",
  "biome.suggestInstallingGlobally": false,
  "biome.runFromTemporaryLocation": false,

biome is complaining that it can't find the binary.

2026-04-06 13:00:37.601 [error] Unable to find the Biome binary.

Steps to reproduce

1. volta install @biomejs/biome
2. install the biome vscode extension
3. setup the extension

Expected behavior

When Biome is installed globally via Volta and the biome.lsp.bin setting points to the correct Volta binary path, the VS Code Biome extension should successfully locate and use the Biome executable without errors.

Does this issue occur when using the CLI directly?

Not sure / Not applicable

Link to a minimal reproduction

No response

Logs

[nhedger]

If it's in PATH you shouldn't have to specify biome.lsp.bin. If you still want to, you should point to the .exe file, not the .cmd shim.

[angelidis]

hi nhedger -- I appreciate the reply!

i have the biome shim in my path, but not the actual executable (biome.exe).

Volta exposes shims but not exe files. So one can run biome, and it will work but it doesn't point to the actual exe.

If I point to the actual executable (which volta suggests that i shouldn't):

"biome.lsp.bin": "C:\\Users\\username\\AppData\\Local\\Volta\\tools\\shared\\@biomejs\\biome\\node_modules\\@biomejs\\cli-win32-x64\\biome.exe",

everything works great!

if I point to the shim (biome.cmd)

"biome.lsp.bin": "C:\\Users\\username\\AppData\\Local\\Volta\\bin\\biome.cmd",

i get:

2026-04-06 20:23:57.815 [warning] 🔍 Could not determine the version of Biome binary at "c:\Users\username\AppData\Local\Volta\bin\biome.cmd"
2026-04-06 20:23:57.816 [error] Failed to start the session

notice the updated error message.
(in my original message i had a separate error, where i was providing the path with a variable %LOCALAPPDATA%.)

I believe most new package managers don't expose executables (thinking of volta and uv), so probably biome shouldn't expect an executable?

but i defer to your expertise on that, i just wanted to highlight it.

[nhedger]

I just booted a windows VM, installed Volta (1.0.8), and Biome with volta and it creates a biome.exe file in C:\Users\Administrator\AppData\Local\Volta\bin, not a biome.cmd file. I wonder that we do differently.

[angelidis]

hm, good point -- my volta version is 2.0.2

i installed it through winget:

winget install Volta.Volta