LatentKit for Visual Studio Code
LatentKit is a VS Code extension that brings LatentKit’s app-aware AI into the editor: chat in the side bar, optional workspace tools (read, search, edit, run commands), and connections to your LatentKit apps through an API key or browser sign-in.
Features
- Activity bar chat — Dedicated LatentKit view with message history, typed run timelines, streaming replies, and durable tool/usage/error cards.
- Connections — Add apps via API key (
GET /v1/me to validate) or Sign in (account browser person_grant flow with token refresh). Signed-in accounts fetch available apps with GET /v1/ide/apps; app selection happens inside VS Code and runtime requests send X-LK-App-ID.
- Modes and depth — Ask (no tools), Plan (no tools, plan-only guidance), Agent (read/write/commands with approvals), Debug (read + restricted commands for tests/builds), plus an explicit Auto/Fast/Balanced/Deep response-depth control.
- Workspace context — Binds a workspace folder, injects project overview (package.json, README, listing), root/nested
AGENTS.md / CLAUDE.md, .latentkit/rules, optional selection, diagnostics via @Problems, @Codebase retrieval, open files, git diff, repo map, multimodal attachments, and manual context from the composer.
- Local tools —
read_file, list_files, search_code, write_file, edit_file, run_command (subject to mode and safety rules), with diff previews and permission modes.
- Editor actions — Code blocks can copy, insert at cursor, open scratch files, or apply to a target file with a native diff preview.
Cmd+Shift+L starts Inline Edit and diagnostics expose LatentKit: Fix this quick fixes.
- Extensibility —
.latentkit/commands, .latentkit/skills, .latentkit/mcp.json, local codebase index scaffolding, /v1/embed, /v1/speech, and /v1/transcribe client support are wired behind feature settings.
- Background agents — Dispatch a task as a background agent; the host prepares an isolated git worktree when possible and reports through the normal run pipeline.
- Checkpoints — Optional snapshots before mutating steps; restore files or roll back the conversation to a turn.
- Session tools — New chat, multiple sessions (pin, archive), edit-and-resend user messages, regenerate the last assistant reply, export or copy the thread as Markdown.
- Settings — Full-page LatentKit account and app-selection settings in the editor. Command: LatentKit: Settings… (or the gear in the chat title bar).
Requirements
- VS Code
^1.99.0
- A LatentKit backend reachable at the URL in Settings →
latentkit.baseUrl (default: https://ai.latentkit.com)
Quick start
- Install the extension (from a VSIX or your marketplace pipeline).
- Open the LatentKit view in the activity bar.
- Connect — Command palette: LatentKit: Add API Key Connection or LatentKit: Sign In, then LatentKit: Switch App to select the app for a signed-in account or LatentKit: Switch Connection to use another saved connection.
- Bind a workspace — LatentKit: Open Chat or LatentKit: Bind Workspace and pick a folder so tools and context use the right root.
- Choose a mode in the chat UI and start typing. Use New chat in the title bar to clear the current thread (sessions are listed in the chat history bar).
Useful commands
| Command |
What it does |
LatentKit: Open Chat |
Focus the chat and prompt for a workspace if needed |
LatentKit: Inline Edit |
Start an editor-scoped LatentKit edit from the current selection |
LatentKit: Run as Background Agent |
Dispatch a longer task through the background-agent workflow |
LatentKit: Settings… |
Open full settings |
LatentKit: Quick Actions… |
Menu: switch connection, output log, export, new chat, etc. |
LatentKit: New chat |
Start a new session (same as New chat in the title bar) |
LatentKit: Copy / Export Chat as Markdown |
Copy or save the current thread |
Development
npm install
npm run build
npm run compile — Extension TypeScript only.npm run build:webview — Installs and builds the React webviews into media/webview/.npm run build — Webviews + extension compile (used before run or package).
Run locally: In VS Code, open this folder and press F5 to start an Extension Development Host with the extension loaded.
Package:
npm run package:vsix
npm run package:ovsx
Documentation
- Technical documentation — Architecture, API contract, chat loop, tools, webview protocol, and persistence. Use this to onboard another developer or agent on how everything fits together.
- Chat experience architecture — Run/event model, typed blocks, editor surfaces, permissions, and context/memory behavior.
Project context
Product direction and feature plans for this repo are captured under plans/ (for example plans/plan_v1.md). The technical reference for the current implementation is docs/technical-documentation.md.
License
UNLICENSED — private / proprietary unless your team assigns a different license.
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