THI Coding Assistant

AI-powered coding assistant for THI projects — chat with your backend models, get code suggestions, and generate clear summaries directly inside VS Code.

What it does

THI Coding Assistant adds a dedicated CAT view in the Activity Bar. From there you can:

• Chat with an AI backend in a side panel
• Get Suggestions for selected code (improvements, refactors, best practices)
• Generate Code Summary for selected code (high-level explanation + key logic)
• Manual Review of the active file (actionable feedback / potential fixes)
• Pre-commit Hook Toggle (enable/disable a managed hook from the extension)
• Backend Auto-Discovery (prefers server backend, falls back to local)

Quick Start

1. Install the extension.
2. Open the CAT icon in the Activity Bar.
3. Make sure the serverside backend is reachable (usually VPN connection is required).

The extension UI may still load if the serverside backend is not reachable, but actions requiring model calls will fail.

Code Improvement Suggestions

Select any code snippet to receive AI-powered improvement suggestions, optimization tips, and best practice recommendations.

Code Summarization

Generate clear, concise summaries of selected code blocks or entire files to quickly understand complex code.

Manual Code Review

Review your active file with AI assistance and receive inline fix suggestions.

Pre-commit Hook Integration

Automatic code review before every commit. The extension integrates with git to help maintain code quality.

Getting Started

1. Install the extension
2. Open the "CAT" icon in the Activity Bar (sidebar)
3. Ensure the serverside backend is reachable
4. Start chatting or select code to get suggestions

Usage

Chat Mode: Type your questions in the chat panel and receive instant AI responses.

Code Suggestions: Select code in your editor, click "Get Suggestions" in the assistant panel, and review the improvements.

Code Summary: Select code you want to understand and click "Summarize Code" to get a clear explanation.

Manual Review: Open a file you want to review, click "Review Current File", and see inline suggestions.

Pre-commit Review: Enable in VS Code settings under "THI Coding Assistant" to automatically review code before commits.

Requirements

• Visual Studio Code 1.93.0 or higher
• THI VPN connection required during use: https://www.thi.de/service/it-service/vpn/

About

Developed for students at Technische Hochschule Ingolstadt (THI) to enhance coding experience and learning.

See main README for complete setup instructions.