The CodeQL extension automatically installs a compatible version of the CodeQL CLI. This instance of the CodeQL CLI is not accessible from the terminal.
If you already have the CodeQL CLI installed and added to your PATH, the extension will use that version.
Installing version updates
The extension checks for updates to the CodeQL CLI automatically and prompts you to accept the updated version.
You can check for updates manually with the CodeQL: Check for CLI Updates command from the VS Code Command Palette.
Using a different CodeQL CLI installation
To override the default behavior and use a specific version of the CodeQL CLI, you can specify the CodeQL CLI Executable Path in the extension settings. See Customizing settings.
Troubleshooting
You can check the CodeQL Extension log for error messages or to see the location of the CodeQL CLI being used. See Accessing logs for CodeQL in Visual Studio Code.