🤖 Bob AI CLI Extension

Your AI coding buddy, right in VS Code ⚡

Select code. Hit a key. Let AI do the heavy lifting.

🎯 What's This?

Bob AI connects VS Code to AI CLIs like Claude Code and Gemini CLI. Select code, press a shortcut, and boom—AI suggestions, refactors, tests, you name it.

Zero config. Pure speed. Maximum fun. 🚀

Includes delightful sound feedback (toggle on/off in settings)

⚡ Keyboard Shortcuts (ASDF Home Row)

The fastest way to use Bob AI—your fingers never leave home row!

Keys	Mac	What it does
`Ctrl+K A`	`Cmd+K A`	🎯 Quick Actions menu
`Ctrl+K D`	`Cmd+K D`	📤 Send to terminal
`Ctrl+K F`	`Cmd+K F`	📋 Copy reference
`Ctrl+K G`	`Cmd+K G`	🚀 Start AI CLI

Pro tip: Just select code and mash Ctrl+K A (or Cmd+K A on Mac). Choose your action. Done. ⚡

Hit Ctrl+K A and choose:

🔍 Explain this code - Get the breakdown
🐛 Find and fix bugs - Catch issues fast
♻️ Refactor this code - Clean it up
✅ Write unit tests - Auto-generate tests
📝 Add documentation - JSDoc magic
⚡ Optimize performance - Make it faster
🔒 Security review - Find vulnerabilities
🎯 Simplify logic - Untangle spaghetti code

📁 Folder Operations

Right-click any folder/file in Explorer → "Bob AI: Actions" for quick operations:

✨ Quick Actions (Template-based)

Choose from customizable templates:

📖 Explain This - Get AI explanation of folder structure & purpose
🔍 Review Code - Comprehensive code review
🔬 Deep Code Review - Expert review with confidence-based filtering (≥80 threshold)
🐛 Find Bugs - Analyze for potential issues
✅ Generate Tests - Create test coverage
📝 Add Documentation - Generate or improve documentation
♻️ Refactor - Get refactoring suggestions
📂 Show Structure - Show file tree + send to AI CLI

📋 Copy Code Reference

Copy clean references to folders or files:

Folders: @src/components/
Files: @src/utils/helper.js

Perfect for analyzing entire features, reviewing modules, or understanding unfamiliar code! 🚀

Customize: Create your own folder action templates in .askbob/folder-actions/ - just like Quick Actions!

🚀 Quick Start

1. Install

vsce package
# Install the .vsix from Extensions panel

2. Select Some Code

function fibonacci(n: number): number {
    if (n <= 1) return n;
    return fibonacci(n - 1) + fibonacci(n - 2);
}

3. Press `Ctrl+K A` (or `Cmd+K A`)

4. Pick "🔍 Explain this code"

5. Watch the magic ✨

Bob sends this to your AI CLI:

Explain this code @src/math.ts#L1-5 \

Your AI explains it line-by-line. Beautiful.

🎪 All Commands

Main Commands

Command	Shortcut	What it does
Quick Actions	`Ctrl+K A`	Template prompt menu
Send to Terminal	`Ctrl+K D`	Just the reference
Copy Reference	`Ctrl+K F`	Copy `@path#L1-5`
Start AI CLI	`Ctrl+K G`	Launch Claude/Gemini
Toggle Sound Effects	-	Enable/disable sound feedback

Advanced Features

💡 Lightbulb Quick Fixes - Click 💡 icon for inline AI suggestions
📁 Folder Operations - Right-click folders for module-level AI operations
📋 Add Feature - Guided tech spec creation workflow
⚙️ Execute Plan - Implement from .md tech specs
🔒 Terminal Management - Auto-detects when AI CLI closes

⚙️ Settings & Customization

🔊 Sound Effects

Bob AI includes delightful birds chirping sound feedback when you execute commands! Control it your way:

Toggle via Command Palette:

Press Ctrl+Shift+P (or Cmd+Shift+P on Mac)
Type "Bob AI: Toggle Sound Effects"
Press Enter to enable/disable

Configure in Settings:

Open Settings: Ctrl+, (or Cmd+, on Mac)
Search for "Bob AI CLI"
Check/uncheck "Enable Sound Effects"

Or edit settings.json directly:

{
  "bobAiCli.enableSoundEffects": true  // or false to disable
}

Default: Sound effects are enabled by default. Turn them off if you prefer silent operation!

✏️ Customize Quick Action Prompts

Bob AI lets you customize both Quick Action prompts (for code selections) and Folder Action templates (for files/folders)! Edit templates, create new ones, or reset to defaults.

Edit Quick Actions (Code Selections):

Press Ctrl+Shift+P (or Cmd+Shift+P on Mac)
Type "Bob AI: Edit Quick Action Prompts"
Choose your editing mode:
- 🎨 Open Visual Editor (Recommended) - Edit templates in a friendly UI
- 📄 Edit Files Directly - Open template files in your editor
- 📁 Open .askbob Folder - Browse all customizations

Edit Folder Actions (Files/Folders):

Press Ctrl+Shift+P → "Bob AI: Edit Folder Action Templates"
Or right-click any folder → "Bob AI: Actions" → "Bob AI: Edit Folder Action Templates"
Same visual editor with support for {{type}} and {{path}} variables

Visual Editor Features:

✨ Edit any template with live preview
➕ Create new custom templates with intuitive form interface
🎯 Auto-selection of newly created templates
🔄 Reset to default anytime
🗑️ Delete custom templates
💾 Auto-saves and reloads instantly
✅ HTML5 validation for template filenames

Creating New Templates:

When you click "➕ Create New Template", you'll see an intuitive form with:

Filename field - Auto-validates (lowercase, letters, numbers, hyphens only)
Label field - Display name with emoji support
Kind selector - Choose template category (Quick Fix, Refactor, etc.)
Prompt editor - Large text area with variable hints
Variable documentation - Built-in hints for {{code}}, {{type}}, {{path}}
Instant feedback - Template appears in list immediately after creation

No popup dialogs or browser prompts - everything works seamlessly in the webview!

alt text

Your customizations are stored in:

.askbob/quick-actions/    # Quick Actions (code selections)
.askbob/folder-actions/   # Folder Actions (files/folders)

All customizations are automatically git-ignored by default. Perfect for personal preferences!

Template Variables:

Quick Actions (Code Selections):

{{code}} - Selected code reference (e.g., @file.js#L10-15)

Folder Actions (Files/Folders):

{{type}} - "module" (folders) or "file" (files)
{{path}} - Relative path to the resource

Learn more: See 📘 User Guide • 🏗️ Architecture • 📚 All Docs

📦 Installation

Option 1: VS Code Marketplace (Recommended)

Install from VS Code Marketplace

Or search "Bob AI CLI" in VS Code Extensions panel.

Option 2: From Source

git clone https://github.com/sayurbox/ask-bob-ai.git
cd ask-bob-ai
npm install -g @vscode/vsce
vsce package
# Install .vsix in VS Code Extensions panel

🎨 Code Reference Format

Bob uses clean references that AI loves:

@src/components/Button.tsx#L15-42

Single line: @src/utils/helper.js#L42 Multi-line: @src/components/Header.tsx#L15-28

Copy, paste, send. Works everywhere. ✅

🤝 Compatible With

AI CLI	Status
Claude Code	✅ Fully Supported
Gemini CLI	✅ Fully Supported
Custom CLIs	✅ Supported
Any Terminal	✅ Fallback mode

💡 Pro Tips

Tip 1: Multi-file Context

# Build context across files
1. Select code in file1.js → Ctrl+K F (copy)
2. Select code in file2.js → Ctrl+K F (copy)
3. Paste both in terminal with your prompt
4. AI now sees the full picture!

Tip 2: Custom Templates

Use the Visual Editor to create your own quick actions:

1. Press Ctrl+Shift+P → "Bob AI: Edit Quick Action Prompts"
2. Choose "🎨 Open Visual Editor"
3. Click "➕ Create New Template"
4. Fill in the form:
   - Filename: convert-typescript (auto-validated)
   - Label: 🔄 Convert to TypeScript
   - Prompt: Convert this code to TypeScript: {{code}}
5. Click "✅ Create Template" - it auto-selects and is ready to use!
6. Use it instantly in Quick Actions with Ctrl+K A!

Tip 3: Tech Spec Workflow

# Plan before you code
1. Right-click → "Bob AI: Add Feature"
2. Answer questions (feature name, requirements, etc.)
3. Get tech spec in /research/research-{feature}.md
4. Right-click .md → "Bob AI: Execute Plan"
5. Watch Bob implement it!

Tip 4: Folder Operations for Quick Understanding

# Quickly understand unfamiliar modules
1. Right-click any folder → "Bob AI: Folder Operations"
2. Choose "📖 Explain module"
3. Get instant overview of architecture & purpose
4. Use "📂 List files" to see the file structure first

🔧 Development

# Clone & open
git clone https://github.com/sayurbox/ask-bob-ai.git
cd ask-bob-ai

# Test (press F5 in VS Code)
# Or package and install
vsce package

Architecture: Pure JavaScript • Zero dependencies • Modular design • Lightning fast

🎯 Roadmap

✅ Done:

[x] ASDF keyboard shortcuts
[x] Tech spec workflow
[x] Terminal lifecycle tracking
[x] Lightbulb quick fixes
[x] Folder operations (module-level AI analysis)
[x] Deep Code Review with confidence filtering
[x] VS Code Marketplace
[x] Streamlined command set (6 core commands)
[x] Sound effects with customizable settings
[x] Custom template UI with visual editor
[x] Folder action templates (customizable like Quick Actions)
[x] Copy code reference for files/folders
[x] Visual editor for folder action templates
[x] Template variables for Quick Actions ({{code}})
[x] Template variables for Folder Actions ({{type}}, {{path}})
[x] HTML form-based template creation (no browser prompts)
[x] Auto-selection of newly created templates
[x] Template filename validation and sanitization

🚧 Coming Soon:

[ ] Multi-file references
[ ] Response preview in editor
[ ] Claude Code skills integration

🐛 Issues?

Open an issue with:

Your OS & VS Code version
Steps to reproduce
What you expected vs what happened

We'll fix it! 💪

📜 License

MIT - Go wild! 🎉

Made with ❤️ for devs who love AI

Press Ctrl+K A and let Bob do the work

⭐ Star • 🐛 Issues • 💡 Ideas • 📦 Marketplace

Bob AI CLI

askbob