Socratic Code Hinter

Socratic Code Hinter is a VS Code extension for students learning Python. It is designed to help you debug code, inspect program state, and get guided support while working inside the editor.

Early Release

This extension is currently in early release.

You should expect:

• some features to still change
• rough edges in the UI and workflows
• occasional bugs, especially around debugging and notebook support

What It Helps With

• getting guided debugging help inside VS Code
• generating hints when your code is not working
• creating or extending Python test cases
• running Python-related helper workflows from the sidebar
• visualizing program state with the Memory Graph feature

Who This Is For

This extension is mainly intended for students who are learning Python and want debugging support without leaving VS Code.

Requirements

Some parts of the extension depend on tools available on your machine:

• VS Code
• Python 3.8+
• Graphviz for the Memory Graph feature

Graphviz download:

• https://graphviz.org/download/

Important Note About Memory Graph

The Memory Graph feature needs Graphviz installed on your machine to render correctly.

If Graphviz is missing, Memory Graph may fail to generate or display the graph image.

Python Environment Setup

The extension can create and manage its own Python environment for internal tooling.

This helps support features such as:

• Python-based debugging helpers
• pytest
• pylint
• bundled Python-side tooling used by the extension

You still need a working Python installation on your machine for Python-dependent features.

Basic Usage

After installation:

1. Open a Python file in VS Code.
2. Open the Socratic Code Hinter sidebar.
3. Use the available actions to run debugging or helper workflows.

Some features work best when:

• your Python interpreter is available in VS Code
• your file can be run or debugged normally
• Graphviz is installed if you want to use Memory Graph

Published Extension Surface

The intended student-facing experience is the Socratic Code Hinter sidebar and its in-panel actions.

Internal maintenance commands used by the extension implementation are not intended to be part of the public command surface.

Troubleshooting

Memory Graph does not appear

Check the following:

• Graphviz is installed
• Python 3.8+ is available
• your script is running in a debug session

Python-based features do not work

Check the following:

• Python is installed
• VS Code can find your Python interpreter
• your environment allows the extension to start Python tooling

Feedback

Because this is still an early release, feedback about bugs, broken workflows, and confusing UI is especially useful.