This VS Code extension helps you collect file contents into a single context for use with AI/LLM tools. It makes it easy to gather code from multiple files or directories and copy them to your clipboard, ready to paste into AI chat interfaces like Claude, ChatGPT, or other LLM tools.
Features
Copy for AI
Right-click on files or directories in the Explorer view and select "Copy for AI" to collect their contents:
Works with single files
Works with multiple selected files
Works with directories (recursively collects all files)
Works with a combination of files and directories
Respects .gitignore rules to skip files that should be ignored
Copy for AI: File Tree
Right-click on directories and select "Copy for AI: File Tree" to generate a directory structure:
Creates a text representation of your file tree
Works with multiple selected directories
Respects .gitignore rules to skip files that should be ignored
Installation
From VS Code Marketplace
Open VS Code
Go to Extensions (Ctrl+Shift+X)
Search for "Quick AI Copy: Context Builder"
Click Install
From VSIX file
Download the VSIX file
Open VS Code
Go to Extensions (Ctrl+Shift+X)
Click the "..." menu in the top-right of the Extensions view
Select "Install from VSIX..."
Navigate to and select the downloaded VSIX file
Manual Installation
Clone this repository
Run npm install
Run npm run compile
Press F5 to start debugging (this will open a new VS Code window with the extension loaded)
Usage
Collecting File Contents
In the Explorer view, right-click on a file or directory
Select "Copy for AI"
Wait for the process to complete (a notification will appear)
Paste the collected context into your AI tool
Generating File Tree
In the Explorer view, right-click on a directory
Select "Copy File Tree for AI"
Wait for the process to complete (a notification will appear)
Paste the file tree into your AI tool
Selecting Multiple Files or Directories
Hold Ctrl (or Cmd on macOS) and click on multiple files or directories
Right-click on one of the selected items
Select "Copy for AI" or "Copy File Tree for AI"
Performance Considerations
The extension is designed to be fast, even for large directories:
File contents are written to a temporary file first to minimize memory usage
Progress indicators show the status of the collection process
The operation can be cancelled if it's taking too long
