Kimchi for Visual Studio Code

An agentic coding chat panel for VS Code, powered by the Kimchi harness. Kimchi runs the agent loop — model orchestration, tool use, and session management — and this extension brings that experience directly into your editor as a side panel.

Prerequisites

This extension relies on the Kimchi CLI to drive the agent loop. Install and authenticate it before using the extension:

➡️ Kimchi Coding — Getting Started

Quick install:

# macOS (Homebrew)
brew install getkimchi/tap/kimchi

# macOS / Linux (curl)
curl -fsSL https://github.com/getkimchi/kimchi/releases/latest/download/install.sh | bash

Then launch kimchi once to authenticate with your Kimchi account. The extension spawns the CLI in the background, so a working kimchi login is required.

What this extension is

Kimchi for VS Code uses the Kimchi harness for the agent loop — the same engine that powers the Kimchi terminal experience. The extension provides an alternative, editor-integrated UI for Kimchi users: a pinned side panel, streaming output, multi-model switching, and tool approval, all without leaving VS Code.

Not to be confused with general-purpose chat extensions that connect to external model providers directly. This extension does not call model APIs on its own — it delegates the entire agent loop (model calls, tool execution, context management) to the Kimchi CLI. You get the same models, tools, and session capabilities as the Kimchi terminal, surfaced as a VS Code panel.

Features

• Side panel chat — pinned to the activity bar, always available alongside your editor
• Streaming responses — real-time, token-by-token output
• Multi-model support — switch between models via the in-panel dropdown
• Mode switching — switch agent modes (e.g. plan mode) without restarting a session
• Agentic tool use — the agent reads and writes files, runs commands, lists directories, and searches your workspace
• Tool approval — choose between auto, writes-only, or approve-all gating for tool calls
• Tabbed conversations — multiple concurrent conversations with persistence, rename, and delete
• File attachments — attach files or the current editor selection to a message
• File mentions — reference files inline with @ mentions
• Choice prompts — when the agent needs clarification, it presents clickable options
• Markdown rendering — code blocks, tables, lists, task lists, headings, and horizontal rules
• Code block actions — copy or insert code directly into your active editor
• Hot-reload config — edit your config file and models update instantly

Getting started

1. Install the extension

Install Kimchi from the VS Code Marketplace.

2. Install & authenticate the Kimchi CLI

Follow the Getting Started guide to install the CLI and log in.

3. Configure (optional)

The extension reads its configuration from ~/.config/kimchi/vscode/config.json (created automatically on first run). You can optionally configure the executable path and environment variables:

{
  "kimchi": {
    "env": {
      "KIMCHI_TAGS": "team:your-team",
      "KIMCHI_PERMISSIONS": "default"
    },
    "executablePath": "$HOME/.local/bin/kimchi"
  }
}

To point the extension at a config file in a different location, set the VS Code setting:

{
  "kimchi.configPath": "/path/to/your/config.json"
}

4. Start chatting

Open the Kimchi icon in the activity bar, start a new chat, and begin coding. The agent runs in your workspace with the tools and context of the Kimchi harness.

Commands

Open the Command Palette (Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+P) and search for Kimchi:

Keyboard shortcuts

Configuration reference

VS Code settings

Config file fields

Feedback & issues

• File bugs or feature requests at github.com/castai/kimchi-vscode
• For Kimchi CLI issues, use the /bug command during a harness session or visit github.com/getkimchi/kimchi
• Read the Kimchi documentation

License

See LICENSE for details.