AirCode Ø for VS Code

This extension uses an existing AirCode Ø instance from VS Code Desktop. It adds connection and project views, an instance-wide Sessions view, a conversation panel, and explicit editor context commands. The instance runs the sessions; the extension does not install or launch a provider CLI.

Install

Install aircode-vscode-desktop-0.1.14.vsix from Extensions → … → Install from VSIX… in VS Code Desktop 1.90 or later. Reload the window when prompted. The extension ID is aircodezero.aircode-vscode-desktop.

To update an existing installation, open Extensions, choose … → Install from VSIX…, select the 0.1.14 file, then reload VS Code. Open the extension details and confirm that Version shows 0.1.14. The local VSIX update uses the existing extension ID and keeps the paired instance credential in VS Code SecretStorage.

For development, open vscode/ as the VS Code workspace, run npm install, then launch the Run AirCode Ø extension configuration. npm run package writes a local VSIX under output/vscode/ at the repository root.

Connect and browse the instance

1. Open the AirCode Ø activity-bar view in VS Code. A workspace folder is not required.
2. Run Set instance and enter the exact instance origin, such as https://instance.example. HTTPS is required, except for HTTP on loopback. An already-running instance on the same extension host can use http://127.0.0.1:7860; the extension does not start the instance.
3. If access protection is enabled, open the instance in a browser. In Settings → Device pairing, select Generate pairing QR code, then Copy one-time link. Run Pair this instance in VS Code and paste the full link. A raw pairing code also works. The extension checks that the link names the configured instance. Browser login and any Turnstile challenge happen on the instance site. VS Code receives a revocable paired device credential, so it does not ask for the site password again. If the instance has no access protection, it connects without a password or pairing code; the Sessions header says so.
4. The Sessions view shows live conversations under Working, Waiting, Checking status and Ready to resume, with search over loaded cards and a project filter. History has its own tab and shows the server's full count. Select a card to open its conversation in an editor tab. A second click returns to the same tab; another session opens a separate tab. Use Load older sessions to page through the archive. The Connection view keeps server projects in a collapsed group. The Sessions header shows the exact connected instance and its access mode. A failed session or History read shows Retry instead of claiming the instance is empty.

If the address is wrong or unreachable, Sessions shows it at the top with separate Reconnect and Change instance actions. Reconnect retries the selected address; Change instance opens the prefilled address field. The connection card uses the extension's AirCode Ø icon beside its state. The same change action appears in Connection, including while pairing. Choose a new address and pair that instance if prompted. A workspace folder or extension reinstall is not required.

The bearer is stored in VS Code SecretStorage, scoped to the exact instance origin. Disconnect removes the selected origin, optional folder links and local token, and asks the instance to revoke the paired device. If the instance is unreachable during disconnect, revoke that device later in its settings.

In an SSH or container window, the extension runs in the remote extension host. The origin must be reachable from there.

Sessions and editor context

Use New session in the Sessions view or the plus action in an open AirCode Ø conversation tab's upper-right editor toolbar. The form opens in a new editor tab immediately, showing a loading state while its catalog is fetched. The Sessions list remains in the sidebar. Choose a project on the instance, then Harness, Model, Effort and Permissions from its live engine catalog, write the first message, and select Start session. The form remembers the last server project for this instance and the last Harness choice. The AirCode Ø mark in an ordinary editor's upper-right toolbar opens Sessions; it replaces the plus action while an AirCode Ø conversation is active. The project list opens when you select its field and closes after a choice or Escape. Both the first-message field and the conversation composer have the animated sunset border, with one clear focus contour and comfortable text spacing. The New session border is inset from the form column, and conversation and New session editor tabs use the sunset icon.

Use Themes in the Sessions or AirCode Ø editor toolbar, or run AirCode Ø: Themes from the Command Palette. The extension offers the 28 listed product theme palettes, plus System and Random. The choice is saved in VS Code and applies immediately to Sessions and open AirCode Ø tabs. System follows VS Code's light or dark mode; Random chooses a listed palette for each extension launch. The theme changes extension views; VS Code's surrounding workbench keeps its own theme. Illustrated themes also bring their canonical artwork into the extension views. You can also select a project in Connection to start there. A local folder is never required for launch, chat or resume. The launched session opens in its own conversation tab. An ended session is read-only until Resume session starts a continuation in its still-available project.

The conversation tab uses the product's message cards, animated Working border and graph, rounded composer, theme artwork and engine icon. It shows Focus Plan context when the instance supplies it, and pending questions. Working groups recent actions with the shared human-readable tool labels; open a row to read its input and output. Generated transcript images appear in the conversation when scrolled into view. The extension fetches only image references present in that transcript, with an authenticated same-origin request and a 6 MiB limit per image. Use the composer plus menu to attach an editor selection or file, Send to submit a message, and Stop to interrupt an active turn. The extension has no native microphone control or local provider runtime. It reloads the named transcript after a window restart or network interruption. Live sessions refresh while the view is visible. History loads in pages of 80 and retains at most 240 entries in the view; Load older sessions advances to the archive's end and Back to newest restores the first page.

To send editor context, first open a VS Code folder and use Link folder for editor context to associate that folder with the session's project. The optional links are under Editor folder links in Connection. Each root of a multi-root workspace needs its own explicit link; local and server paths may differ. Then open a live session and run Attach selection or Attach current file from the editor menu or Command Palette. Review the exact text in the preview, then confirm. The attachment is added to the next message, including unsaved edits at the time of preview. The extension refuses untitled files, files outside the linked folder, binary text and text above 16 KiB. It never copies the whole worktree automatically.

Troubleshooting

• Pair this instance to continue: the bearer is missing, expired or revoked. Create a new one-time code in the instance's Device pairing page.
• Cannot reach instance: check network access from the VS Code extension host, including SSH or container hosts. The extension does not ignore TLS errors; fix the certificate or trusted CA at the host. Use Change instance if the address itself is wrong; Reconnect only retries that address.
• Open 0 / History 0: compare the exact address in the Sessions header with the browser instance where your conversations appear. Use Change instance if they differ, then pair the intended instance. Refresh sessions retries both lists; a failed read now has an explicit error and Retry action.
• Project changed on the instance: reopen the session from Sessions. The extension checks the server path and directory identity before writes, so a removed or replaced project cannot silently inherit a session action. If you use editor context, relink that folder too.
• A message or launch was not confirmed: reconnect and refresh the session before retrying. A launch uses an idempotency key so an uncertain response cannot deliberately start a duplicate session.
• No editor attachment: open a live session, link the editor folder to that session's project, select text or an eligible file, and check the 16 KiB limit.

Validation scope

npm run typecheck, npm test, npm run test:host, and npm run package are the package controls. The host test uses a local API fixture and an actual Extension Development Host; it does not prove connectivity to a particular owner instance, provider, remote host or native device.

With the instance owner's explicit approval, run npm run test:live -- https://instance.example. It launches a separate Extension Development Host and prompts for a fresh one-time pairing code on stdin. It pairs through the extension, reads the project and session lists, then revokes the paired device and removes its local bearer. It never launches a session or provider. The code is held in memory for that run and is not written to settings, logs or the workspace.