Enhanced Hover is a VS Code extension that adds AI-assisted code hovers and a symbol details sidebar for TypeScript, JavaScript, and Python.
It combines local editor context with the VS Code language model API to explain symbols, show their definition, and surface real usage examples from the workspace.
Features
Hover summaries for supported languages.
A right-click command to open symbol details directly.
A sidebar panel with dense symbol explanations, definition code, and usage snippets.
Background summary prefetch after hover dwell.
Configurable model selection through the VS Code language model API.
Built-in diagnostics command for troubleshooting editor/model integration issues.
Currently Supported Languages
TypeScript
JavaScript
Python
Requirements
VS Code ^1.100.0
Access to a compatible model through the VS Code language model API
GitHub Copilot or another supported provider configured in VS Code, depending on the selected model vendor
Usage
Open a supported source file.
Hover a symbol to see the short explanation.
Click Read more, or right-click and choose Enhanced Hover: Open Symbol Details.
Run Enhanced Hover: Initialize AI Access once if you want model-generated explanations.
If AI access is unavailable, the extension falls back to local symbol analysis so the sidebar still shows useful information.
Commands
Enhanced Hover: Initialize AI Access
Enhanced Hover: Open Symbol Details
Enhanced Hover: Refresh Current Symbol
Enhanced Hover: Run Diagnostics
Settings
enhancedHover.prefetchEnabled
enhancedHover.hoverDwellMs
enhancedHover.cacheTtlMs
enhancedHover.maxContextLines
enhancedHover.requestTimeoutMs
enhancedHover.model.vendor
enhancedHover.model.family
enhancedHover.model.id
enhancedHover.model.version
Development
npm install
npm run compile
npm run lint
npm test
Launch the extension with F5 in VS Code to open an Extension Development Host.
Integration Tests
npm run test:integration
This downloads a VS Code test build into .vscode-test/, launches the extension in an isolated host, and runs end-to-end integration tests against test-fixtures/.
Notes
This extension uses the VS Code language model API. It does not require direct third-party API keys in the extension itself.
The Run Diagnostics command is intended for troubleshooting model access, symbol resolution, and sidebar rendering.
