Documentation

Everything you need to get Cruise running and get the most out of it.

Prerequisites

1. VS Code 1.85+ — download from code.visualstudio.com
2. Claude Code CLI — installed and authenticated. Run claude --version to verify.
3. A Claude subscription (Pro, Team, or Enterprise)

Installation

Install Cruise from the VS Code Marketplace, or search for "Cruise" in the VS Code extensions panel.

ext install missingpiecetech.cruise

If you have the official Claude Code VS Code extension installed, disable it to avoid conflicts. Cruise communicates directly with the Claude Code CLI.

Quick Start

1 Open a workspace folder in VS Code
2 Press Cmd+Shift+Q (Mac) or Ctrl+Shift+Q (Windows/Linux) to open the Cruise panel
3 Type your tasks into the queue — one task per entry
4 Hit Start and walk away

That's it. Cruise sends each task to Claude Code sequentially, handles completions, errors, and rate limits, and advances through the queue automatically.

Commands Reference

Command	Shortcut	Description
Cruise: Open Panel	`Cmd+Shift+Q`	Open the Cruise task queue panel

Everything else — adding tasks, starting/stopping the queue, reordering, clearing completed tasks — is done from within the panel UI.

Settings Reference

All settings are managed from within the Cruise panel via the gear icon. Settings marked with a tier badge require a paid subscription.

Setting	Default	Description
Error recovery Basic	`retry-once`	How to handle failures: `stop`, `skip`, `retry-once`, `retry-n`. Free users can only use `stop`.
Max retries	`3`	Max retry attempts when using `retry-n` error recovery
Sleep prevention Basic	`true`	Keep the system awake while the queue is processing
Git auto-commit Pro	`false`	Create a git commit after each completed task
Commit message template Pro	`cruise: {{commitMessage}}`	Template for auto-commit messages. Placeholders: `{{commitMessage}}` (short), `{{summary}}` (full), `{{taskText}}`
Notifications Basic	`true`	Toggle individual notification types: task completed, task failed, queue completed, rate limit hit, queue resumed

Upgrading

Cruise offers Free, Basic, and Pro tiers. You can upgrade directly from the Cruise panel inside VS Code or from the pricing page.

From the Cruise panel

1. Open Settings (gear icon) and scroll to the Subscription section
2. Click Upgrade to Basic or Upgrade to Pro — this opens Stripe Checkout in your browser
3. Complete payment
4. You're automatically redirected back to VS Code and your plan activates immediately

Manual activation

After checkout, you'll land on an activation page that automatically opens VS Code. If the handoff doesn't work:

1. Make sure VS Code is running with Cruise installed
2. On the activation page, click the Open in VS Code button to retry
3. If that still doesn't work, expand "Still not working?" on the activation page to reveal your activation code
4. Copy the code, then in VS Code open Cruise Settings → Subscription and paste it into the "Have an activation code?" field

Tip: Don't close the activation page until your plan shows as active in VS Code. If you've already closed it, you can start a new checkout from the Cruise panel — Stripe won't charge you twice for the same subscription.

Managing your subscription

Use the Manage Subscription button in Cruise Settings to open the Stripe Customer Portal, where you can change plans, update payment methods, or cancel.

Tips for Getting the Most Out of Cruise

Break work into focused tasks

"Add user authentication with JWT" is better than "Build the entire backend." Claude Code works best with clear, scoped instructions.

Use priority levels

Urgent fixes can jump the queue without interrupting the currently running task.

Bulk import from planning notes Basic

Paste a numbered list, markdown spec, or task breakdown directly into Cruise — it parses them into individual queue items automatically. AI-assisted parsing is available for unstructured documents.

Let rate limits work for you Pro

Instead of waiting at your keyboard, queue up more tasks. Cruise Pro handles the rate limit pause-and-resume cycle automatically with a live countdown timer. On Basic and Free, the queue pauses and you can resume with one click.

Enable git auto-commit Pro

Each task gets its own commit, making it easy to review changes, revert mistakes, or cherry-pick specific work. The default template is cruise: {{commitMessage}}.

Pause before risky tasks Coming Soon

Flag tasks that need your review (like database migrations or deployment scripts) so the queue waits for your approval before executing them. This feature is planned for an upcoming Pro release.