contextd for VS Code

The context layer for AI-assisted development — right inside your editor.

Manage your project's AI context without leaving VS Code. Edit .context/ files, export to CLAUDE.md or .cursorrules, track architecture decisions, and monitor coverage — all from the sidebar.

Features

📁 Context Sidebar

A dedicated activity bar panel showing all your context files organized by type — core docs, architecture decisions, and module context. Click any file to open it instantly.

💚 Health Dashboard

Live health score for your context coverage. See at a glance which files are missing, stale, or unfilled — without running any commands.

⚡ One-Click Export

Export your context to any AI tool format directly from the sidebar or command palette:

CLAUDE.md — for Claude Code
.cursorrules — for Cursor
Clipboard — paste anywhere

📋 Copy Context for Current File

Right-click any file → contextd: Copy relevant context to clipboard. Gets only the context relevant to what you're working on — not everything.

📝 Add Architecture Decisions

Record ADRs (Architecture Decision Records) without leaving your editor. Cmd+Shift+P → contextd: Add architecture decision — type a title, get a pre-filled template.

🗂 Add Module Context

Working in a new directory? Right-click → contextd: Add module context for current file — creates a scoped context file pre-filled with the right path.

🔄 Auto-Export on Save

Enable contextd.autoExportOnSave to automatically regenerate your CLAUDE.md whenever you update any context file.

Getting Started

Install the extension
Open your project in VS Code
Open the command palette (Cmd+Shift+P) → contextd: Initialize in this project
Fill in .context/project.md with your project details
Click Export in the contextd sidebar to generate your CLAUDE.md
Commit .context/ to share with your team

Commands

Command	Description
`contextd: Initialize`	Scaffold `.context/` directory
`contextd: Export context`	Export to CLAUDE.md, .cursorrules, or clipboard
`contextd: Check context health`	Open the health dashboard
`contextd: Add architecture decision`	Create a new ADR
`contextd: Add module context for current file`	Add scoped module context
`contextd: Copy relevant context to clipboard`	Copy context for the active file

Settings

Setting	Default	Description
`contextd.autoExportOnSave`	`false`	Auto-regenerate export when context files change
`contextd.defaultExportFormat`	`claude-md`	Default export format
`contextd.showStatusBar`	`true`	Show contextd in the status bar

How It Works

contextd reads from a .context/ directory in your project root:

your-repo/
  .context/
    project.md        ← what this is, tech stack, goals
    architecture.md   ← system design
    conventions.md    ← coding standards
    decisions/        ← architecture decisions (ADRs)
      001-use-postgres.md
    modules/          ← per-directory context
      api.md

This directory is committed to git — your whole team shares the same AI context.

CLI Companion

For terminal users, the contextd CLI offers the same features plus MCP server mode:

npx contextd init
npx contextd serve   # MCP server for Claude/Cursor

License

MIT

contextd

Dan Farr