Code Pilot AI - Intelligent Coding Assistant for VS Code

Your intelligent coding companion. Get AI-powered assistance through an intuitive chat interface directly in VS Code.

Code Pilot AI brings powerful AI assistance into your development workflow with a clean, native chat interface that integrates seamlessly with your editor.

Why Code Pilot AI?

• Native Chat Interface - Conversational AI assistance without leaving your editor
• Workspace Snapshots - Save and restore your code state with one click
• Context Protocol Support - Extend functionality with custom tool servers
• Session Management - Persistent conversation history across sessions
• VS Code Integration - Native theming and sidebar support
• Planning & Reasoning Modes - Configurable AI behavior for different tasks
• Smart File Context - Reference files, paste images, create custom workflows
• Model Flexibility - Switch between different AI models based on your needs
• WSL Compatible - Full Windows Subsystem for Linux support

Features

Chat Interface

• Clean, intuitive conversation UI
• Real-time streaming responses
• Markdown support with syntax highlighting
• Auto-expanding input field
• One-click message copying

Workspace Snapshots

• Create restore points before major changes
• Git-based backup system
• Browse and restore any previous state
• Safe experimentation with instant rollback

Tool Server Management

• Configure custom tool servers
• Pre-configured popular servers available
• Full lifecycle management (add, edit, delete)
• Seamless permissions integration

Permission System

• Interactive approval dialogs
• "Always Allow" for trusted commands
• Auto-Approve Mode for power users
• Workspace-specific permission storage

Image Support

• Drag and drop images into chat
• Paste screenshots with Ctrl+V
• Multiple image selection
• Organized local storage

Sidebar Integration

• Full functionality in sidebar panel
• Automatic view switching
• Persistent state across panels
• Activity bar quick access

File Integration

• Type @ to search and reference files
• Fast search across your project
• Multi-file context in conversations

Reasoning Modes

• Standard - Quick responses for simple tasks
• Detailed - More thorough analysis
• Comprehensive - In-depth reasoning
• Maximum - Most thorough exploration

Getting Started

Prerequisites

• VS Code 1.80 or later
• AI backend CLI installed
• Active API subscription

Installation

1. From VS Code Marketplace

   ext install code-pilot-ai
   

2. Manual Installation

   • Download the .vsix file from releases
   • Run code --install-extension code-pilot-ai-x.x.x.vsix

3. Open Code Pilot AI

   • Press Ctrl+Shift+P (or Cmd+Shift+P on Mac)
   • Or click the icon in your activity bar
   • Or use Command Palette: Code Pilot AI: Open Chat

Usage

Code Review

You: @src/components/UserProfile.tsx Review this component

AI: I'll analyze your UserProfile component...
[Detailed analysis with recommendations]

Project Analysis

You: Analyze the architecture of this project

AI: Here's an overview of your project structure...
[Architecture breakdown with suggestions]

Debugging

You: I'm getting this error: [paste error]

AI: Looking at this error, the issue appears to be...
[Step-by-step debugging guidance]

Configuration

Keyboard Shortcuts

WSL Configuration (Windows)

1. Open VS Code Settings
2. Search for "Code Pilot AI"
3. Configure WSL settings:
   • WSL Enabled - Enable WSL integration
   • WSL Distro - Your distribution name
   • WSL Node Path - Path to Node.js
   • WSL Backend Path - Path to AI backend

Example settings.json:

{
  "codePilotAI.wsl.enabled": true,
  "codePilotAI.wsl.distro": "Ubuntu",
  "codePilotAI.wsl.nodePath": "/usr/bin/node",
  "codePilotAI.wsl.backendPath": "/usr/local/bin/claude"
}

Tips

File Context

• Type @ followed by search terms to find files
• Use @src/ to narrow to specific directories
• Reference multiple files in one message

Productivity

• Snapshots are created automatically before changes
• Use the stop button to cancel long operations
• Access history to reference previous conversations
• Sidebar integration enables multi-panel workflow

Tool Integration

Code Pilot AI provides access to various tools:

• Shell - Execute commands with permission controls
• File Operations - Read, write, and edit files
• Search - Pattern matching across workspace
• Web - Fetch and search web content
• Batch Operations - Multiple file modifications
• Tool Servers - Extend with custom functionality

Development

git clone <your-repo-url>
cd code-pilot-ai
npm install

# Press F5 to run the extension in debug mode

License

MIT License

Support

For issues and feature requests, please use the GitHub Issues page.

Code Pilot AI - Your intelligent coding companion