Sidekick for Max

Your Claude Max, working harder: completions, transforms, commits, code review, session monitoring, and more.

Claude Code is incredible for complex, multi-file refactoring and agentic workflows. But sometimes you just want a quick inline completion while typing, or to transform a snippet of code without spinning up a full conversation. And you shouldn't have to pay for yet another subscription to get that.

If you're already paying for Claude Max, Sidekick lets you use those tokens for inline completions, code transforms, AI commit messages, speed reading with AI explanations, and real-time session monitoring--no extra cost, no separate account.

Why Am I Building This?

Claude Code and other AI agents have transformed how we build software. But some of us are still control freaks who want to see, review, and understand everything that our overly-enthusiastic robot assistant does with our code. We also enjoy writing actual code ourselves sometimes. And since agents love to be verbose, we need to ingest their output faster (hence RSVP speed reading).

Sidekick gives you visibility into what Claude is doing, quick AI assistance for the small stuff, and tools to read faster—all without leaving VS Code.

Why Use This Extension?

Stop paying twice for AI coding tools.

You're already spending $100-200/month on Claude Max. Sidekick lets you drop your Copilot subscription and get completions, transforms, and session monitoring from the same plan:

Designed to complement Claude Code CLI, not replace it:

• Use Claude Code CLI for complex, multi-file refactoring and agentic tasks
• Use Sidekick for fast inline completions, quick code transforms, and monitoring your CLI sessions
• Session Monitor shows token usage, costs, activity timeline, and exactly what Claude is doing—essential for understanding where your quota goes, especially if you're hitting limits

The extension uses Haiku by default for inline completions—fast, responsive, and lightweight enough that they won't meaningfully impact your Claude Code quota.

Prerequisites

• Claude Max subscription (Recommended) OR Anthropic API key
• Claude Code CLI installed and authenticated (for Max subscription mode)

Why Max subscription is recommended: Inline completions fire frequently as you type. With an API key, these per-token costs add up quickly. With Max ($100-200/month), completions are covered by your existing plan—no surprise bills. Haiku-powered completions are lightweight enough that they won't meaningfully impact your Claude Code quota.

Installation

For Claude Max Subscribers (Recommended)

1. Install and authenticate Claude Code CLI:

   npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
   claude auth
   

   Follow the prompts to authenticate with your Claude Max subscription.

2. Install the VS Code extension:

   • VS Code: Install from the VS Code Marketplace
   • Cursor/VSCodium: Install from Open VSX
   • Manual: Download .vsix from GitHub Releases → Extensions → "Install from VSIX..."

3. Start typing in any file - completions should appear as ghost text

For API Key Users

1. Install the VS Code extension (same as above)

2. Set your API key:

   • Run "Sidekick: Set API Key" from the Command Palette
   • Enter your Anthropic API key

3. Change auth mode in settings:

   • Open Settings (Ctrl+,)
   • Search for "sidekick.authMode"
   • Select "api-key"

Features

Claude Code Session Monitor

Monitor your Claude Code sessions in real-time with a comprehensive analytics dashboard. Click the Session Monitor icon in the activity bar to access all monitoring features.

Session Analytics Dashboard:

• Real-time token usage and cost tracking with model-specific pricing
• Context token attribution chart showing where your context budget goes (system prompt, CLAUDE.md, user messages, assistant responses, tool I/O, thinking)
• Token usage tooltips and quota projections showing estimated usage at reset
• Context window gauge showing input/output token usage vs. limits
• Compaction detection with timeline markers showing when context was compressed and how much was lost
• Activity timeline displaying user prompts, tool calls, errors, and subagent spawns
• Timeline search & filtering with full-text search and noise classification (filter system reminders, sidechains)

• Collapsible session navigator to save vertical space when not switching sessions
• Session selector dropdown to switch between active and recent sessions

• Browse Session Folders: Manually select any Claude project folder to monitor, even from different directories
• Tool analytics with categorization and drill-down to individual tool calls
• Session Summary with AI narrative generation (progress notification + inline spinner)
• Organized Session tab with three collapsible groups: Session Activity, Performance & Cost, Tasks & Recovery

Mind Map Visualization:

• Interactive D3.js force-directed graph showing session structure
• Visualizes conversation flow, tool usage, and file relationships
• Real-time updates as the session progresses

Kanban Board:

• Tasks and subagent spawns grouped by status in a dedicated view
• Subagent cards with cyan accent and agent type chips (Explore, Plan, Bash, etc.)
• Collapsible columns with hidden-task summaries
• Real-time updates as tasks and agents move through the workflow

Conversation Viewer:

• Full editor tab showing the complete session conversation in chat-style layout
• User, assistant, tool, and compaction chunks with distinct visual styling
• Built-in search for finding content within long conversations

Tool Inspector:

• Full editor tab with specialized rendering per tool type
• Read: file paths with range info; Edit: inline diff display; Bash: formatted commands; Grep/Glob: search parameters
• Filter buttons by tool type, expandable detail panels

Cross-Session Search:

• Search across all Claude Code sessions in ~/.claude/projects/
• QuickPick interface with context snippets and event type icons

Notification Triggers:

• Configurable alerts for credential file access (.env, .credentials), destructive commands (rm -rf, git push --force), tool error bursts, context compaction, and token usage thresholds
• Fires VS Code notifications for monitoring autonomous sessions

Tree Views:

• Latest Files Touched - Quick access to files modified during Claude Code sessions
• Subagents - Monitor spawned Task agents with token usage, duration, and parallel execution detection

Status Bar Integration:

• Real-time session indicator in the VS Code status bar
• Quick access to dashboard and monitoring controls

CLAUDE.md Suggestions:

• AI-powered analysis of your session patterns
• Detects recovery patterns (when Claude gets stuck and how it recovers)
• Generates best practices based on actual usage
• Collapsible suggestions panel with progress indicators

The monitor automatically discovers Claude Code sessions and updates in real-time. If Claude Code is running in a different directory than your workspace (e.g., a subdirectory), use Browse Session Folders to manually select the session folder. Your selection persists across VS Code restarts. Perfect for understanding token usage, tracking costs, and seeing exactly what Claude is doing in your codebase.

Inline Completions

Get intelligent code suggestions as you type. Completions appear as ghost text that you can accept with Tab.

• Automatic suggestions after a brief pause in typing
• Manual trigger: Ctrl+Shift+Space (Cmd+Shift+Space on Mac)
• Toggle on/off via status bar or Command Palette

Transform Selected Code

Transform selected code using natural language instructions.

1. Select the code you want to modify
2. Press Ctrl+Shift+M (Cmd+Shift+M on Mac)
3. Enter your instruction (e.g., "Add error handling", "Convert to async/await", "Add TypeScript types")
4. The selection is replaced with the modified code

Quick Ask (Inline Chat)

Ask questions about code or request changes without leaving your editor.

1. Press Ctrl+I (Cmd+I on Mac) to open quick input
2. Ask a question or request a change
3. For changes: review the diff preview and Accept/Reject

Features:

• Context-aware - uses selected code or cursor context
• Ask questions - "What does this function do?" or "Is this thread-safe?"
• Request changes - "Add error handling" or "Convert to async/await"
• Diff preview for proposed changes
• Uses Sonnet by default

Generate Documentation

Automatically generate JSDoc/docstrings for functions, classes, and methods.

1. Place cursor in a function or select code
2. Press Ctrl+Shift+D (Cmd+Shift+D on Mac)
3. Documentation is inserted above the function

Features:

• Supports TypeScript, JavaScript, Python, and more
• Generates parameter descriptions, return types, and examples
• Uses Haiku by default for fast generation

Explain Code

Get AI-powered explanations for selected code.

1. Select code you want to understand
2. Press Ctrl+Shift+E (Cmd+Shift+E on Mac)
3. Choose complexity level from the submenu

Features:

• Five complexity levels: ELI5, Curious Amateur, Imposter Syndrome, Senior, PhD Mode
• Rich webview panel with markdown rendering
• Regenerate with custom instructions
• Read explanations in RSVP mode
• Uses Sonnet by default

Error Explanations & Fixes

Understand and fix errors with AI assistance.

• Click the lightbulb on any diagnostic → "Explain Error with AI" or "Fix Error with AI"
• Or right-click → Sidekick → Explain Error / Fix Error
• Five complexity levels for explanations
• Uses Sonnet by default

AI Commit Messages

Generate intelligent commit messages from your staged changes with a single click.

1. Stage your changes in the Source Control panel
2. Click the sparkle button in the Source Control toolbar
3. A commit message is generated based on your diff
4. Optionally regenerate with custom guidance (e.g., "focus on the bug fix", "make it shorter")

Features:

• Analyzes your git diff to create contextual commit messages
• Supports Conventional Commits format (feat(scope): description) or simple descriptions
• Configurable default guidance for consistent commit style across your team
• Automatically filters out lockfiles, binary files, and generated code
• Uses Sonnet by default for high-quality messages

Pre-commit AI Review

Review your changes before committing. Click the eye icon in the Source Control toolbar.

Features:

• Bug detection - catches potential issues before they're committed
• Security concerns - highlights potential vulnerabilities
• Code smells - identifies maintainability issues
• Inline decorations - issues shown directly in the editor
• Uses Sonnet by default for thorough analysis

PR Description Generation

Generate pull request descriptions automatically. Click the PR icon in the Source Control toolbar.

Features:

• Analyzes all commits on your branch vs the base branch
• Generates summary, change list, and test plan
• Copies to clipboard - ready to paste into GitHub/GitLab
• Uses Sonnet by default for comprehensive descriptions

RSVP Reader

Speed read selected text with AI-powered explanations. RSVP (Rapid Serial Visual Presentation) displays words one at a time at a fixed focal point, eliminating eye movement and enabling reading speeds of 2-3x normal.

1. Select the text you want to speed read
2. Press Ctrl+Shift+R (Cmd+Shift+R on Mac) or right-click → "Sidekick: RSVP Reader"
3. Choose direct read or an AI explanation complexity level
4. Use playback controls to start reading

Features:

• ORP Highlighting: Optimal Recognition Point highlighting reduces eye movement for faster comprehension
• Adjustable Speed: 100-900 WPM with real-time controls (up/down arrows)
• AI Explanations: Five complexity levels tailored to your expertise:
  • ELI5 - Complete beginner, simple analogies, no jargon
  • Curious Amateur - Learning mode, technical terms defined
  • Imposter Syndrome - Fill knowledge gaps, assume basic familiarity
  • Senior - High-level summary, skip basics
  • PhD Mode - Expert-level analysis without simplification
• Dual Content: Toggle between original text and AI explanation (O key)
• Two Reading Modes: RSVP word-by-word or full-text scrollable view (F key)
• Keyboard Controls: Space (play/pause), arrows (navigate/speed), R (restart)
• Smart Classification: Automatically detects prose, technical content, or code for tailored explanations
• Uses Sonnet by default for intelligent explanations

Commands

Status Bar Menu

Click "Sidekick" in the status bar to access:

• Enable/Disable completions
• Configure Extension settings
• View Logs
• Test Connection
• Set API Key

Settings

Note: Prose files (Markdown, plaintext, HTML, XML, LaTeX, etc.) automatically use multiline mode regardless of the setting.

Troubleshooting

No completions appearing

1. Click status bar → "Test Connection" to verify API connectivity
2. Click status bar → "View Logs" to check for errors
3. Verify the status bar shows "Sidekick" is enabled

"Claude Code CLI not found" error (Max subscription mode)

• Install the CLI: npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
• Authenticate: claude auth
• Verify: claude --version
• If installed via pnpm/yarn/volta: Set sidekick.claudePath in settings to the full path (find it with which claude on Linux/Mac or where claude on Windows)

API key issues (API key mode)

• Run "Sidekick: Set API Key" to update your key
• Ensure your API key has sufficient credits
• Run "Sidekick: Test Connection" to verify connectivity

Rate limited

• Wait a moment and try again
• Consider using haiku model for more frequent completions
• Increase debounceMs to reduce request frequency

Architecture

The extension uses the Anthropic SDK directly:

• Max subscription mode: Uses Claude Agent SDK to leverage your existing CLI authentication
• API key mode: Uses Anthropic SDK with your API key

No local server required.

License

MIT