EchoSidekick

Your voice companion for understanding, exploring, and safely changing code.

EchoSidekick lets you talk with your codebase from VS Code. Select unfamiliar code for a clear explanation, ask for a guided journey across related files, preview possible inputs and outputs, or request a code change that you review before anything is applied.

It uses Deepgram for speech and your existing Claude Code or Codex CLI sign-in for code intelligence.

See EchoSidekick in action

Understand selected code

Select a function or block and ask a question. EchoSidekick grounds its answer in that selection and highlights the relevant code while speaking.

Illustrative walkthrough of selected-code explanation.

Take a guided code journey

Ask how a feature works and EchoSidekick creates a narrated journey across the real files and symbols involved. Move with Next, Back, Repeat, Pause, or Go deeper.

Illustrative walkthrough of a guided journey.

Review code additions and changes

Ask EchoSidekick to add or refactor code. It prepares a read-only proposal, opens a native diff, and waits for you to apply or reject each file.

Illustrative walkthrough of a reviewable code proposal.

What you can do

• Explain selected code with concise, context-aware spoken answers.
• Explore a feature through a multi-file guided code journey.
• Preview possible inputs and outputs beside the relevant line, with observed, inferred, or synthesized evidence labels.
• Request code additions and refactors as safe, reviewable proposals.
• Navigate by voice during a journey or proposal.
• Practice for interviews by asking EchoSidekick to quiz you about the code currently on screen.
• Choose Fast, Balanced, or Deep response modes.

Get started

1. Install the prerequisites

You need:

• VS Code 1.90 or newer.
• Either the claude or codex CLI installed and signed in.
• A Deepgram API key with permission to create short-lived tokens through /v1/auth/grant.

2. Configure EchoSidekick

1. Open the EchoSidekick icon in the Activity Bar.
2. Choose Set Deepgram API key.
3. Choose Select CLI provider, or leave it on Auto.
4. Open a project and save the file you want to discuss.

Your Deepgram key is stored in VS Code SecretStorage. EchoSidekick uses your CLI's existing sign-in and does not read its credentials.

3. Start talking

1. Select code, place your cursor on a useful line, or leave nothing selected for a broader question.
2. Choose Start call.
3. Allow microphone access in the VS Code Browser companion the first time.
4. Speak naturally and pause briefly when you finish.

Keep the audio companion tab open in the background. It is served only on 127.0.0.1.

Things to try saying

Explain and debug

• “What does this selected function do?”
• “Why can this branch throw an error?”
• “Explain this like I am new to the codebase.”
• “What edge cases should I worry about here?”

Explore the codebase

• “Walk me through how authentication works.”
• “Show me the journey from this API route to the database.”
• “Where is this value created and transformed?”
• During a journey: “Next”, “Back”, “Repeat”, “Pause”, or “Go deeper.”

Preview behavior

• “What are the possible input values and outputs after running this line?”
• “Show me examples for this function using evidence from tests.”

EchoSidekick does not execute arbitrary workspace code for previews. It labels examples as observed, inferred, or synthesized.

Add or improve code

• “Add validation for an empty project name.”
• “Refactor this function to remove the duplicate lookup.”
• “Add error handling around this API call.”
• “Continue the existing agent and update the same loader.”

Proposals can update existing files only. EchoSidekick remains read-only while planning, then asks you to apply or reject every file separately. Applied changes remain unsaved so you stay in control.

Prepare for an interview

• “Interview me about the selected code.”
• “Ask me five questions about the design choices in this function.”
• “What follow-up questions could an interviewer ask about this implementation?”
• “Give me one coding interview improvement task based on this file, then review my answer.”

Interview prep currently uses the normal code conversation experience; a dedicated interview mode is not yet included.

Privacy and safety

• The persistent Deepgram key stays in VS Code SecretStorage; the browser companion receives short-lived tokens.
• The audio companion binds only to loopback (127.0.0.1).
• Claude Code and Codex inspect the workspace in read-only mode.
• Code proposals are checked for safe workspace paths and stale edits.
• Every proposed file requires an explicit apply or reject decision.

Coming next

• Agent personalities — choose a patient mentor, concise senior engineer, curious reviewer, or interview coach.
• A dedicated interview-preparation flow with adaptive questions and feedback.
• Richer voice control for coding and navigation.
• Support for proposals that create new files.

Roadmap items are planned and may change.

Troubleshooting

• The sidebar keeps loading: reload the VS Code window after installing or updating, then reopen EchoSidekick.
• No microphone prompt: run Browser: Manage Permissions, allow Microphone for http://127.0.0.1:43117, and reload the companion. On macOS, also allow microphone access for Visual Studio Code.
• Deepgram is not configured: set the key again and confirm it can call /v1/auth/grant.
• No CLI available: install and sign in to Claude Code or Codex, then reload VS Code.
• No sound: use Play test tone in the companion once, then ask again.

Development

Prerequisites: Node.js 20+, npm, VS Code, and at least one supported CLI.

npm install
npm run verify

Open this folder in VS Code, choose Run Extension, and press F5.

The Marketplace identifier remains Sachin-Keshav.project-voice so existing installations continue to receive updates.