DevExplain
Publisher: SulemExtensions — Marketplace: SulemExtensions.devexplain
DevExplain is a VS Code extension that helps you understand code faster: AI explanations, static analysis (regex + TypeScript AST rules), optional Apply fix for simple issues, a Code Analysis sidebar, and light project memory.
Features
- Explain this file — Structured summary, execution flow, concepts, risks, and improvements (with caching).
- Explain selection — Same flow for a highlighted snippet.
- Find problems only — Static scan without waiting for AI; results in the sidebar and Output channel.
- Providers —
bmad (offline placeholder), mock, OpenAI, DeepSeek, Groq (OpenAI-compatible APIs).
- One-click fixes — For some findings, use Apply fix in the sidebar (replaces the line; Ctrl+Z / Cmd+Z to undo).
- Project analysis — Lightweight workspace import graph (command palette).
- Optional tiers — Settings for
licenseTier / proLicenseKey gate export and advanced commands.
Requirements
- VS Code 1.90 or newer (including Cursor, when compatible with VS Code extension APIs).
For cloud AI: configure the matching API key and set DevExplain › Provider to openai, deepseek, or groq.
Getting started
- Install the extension from the Marketplace (after you publish) or from a
.vsix (code --install-extension devexplain-1.0.0.vsix).
- Open the DevExplain activity bar icon → Code Analysis view.
- Open a source file and run:
- DevExplain: Explain This File (default keybinding Ctrl+Shift+E / Cmd+Shift+E with editor focus), or
- DevExplain: Find Problems Only / Find All Bugs (Ctrl+Shift+B / Cmd+Shift+B for Find All Bugs).
Configuration
| Setting |
Description |
devexplain.provider |
bmad, mock, openai, deepseek, groq |
devexplain.autoExplain |
Run explain when a file opens |
devexplain.mode |
beginner or professional |
devexplain.maxChars |
Max characters of code sent to the model |
devexplain.openAIApiKey |
OpenAI key (and optional JSON-fix helper) |
devexplain.deepseekApiKey / devexplain.groqApiKey |
Provider keys |
devexplain.licenseTier |
free, pro, enterprise |
Build and publish (maintainers)
Update repository, bugs, and homepage URLs in package.json to match your Git repo. Confirm publisher matches the publisher you use with vsce publish (see note at top of this README).
cd devexplain
npm install
npm run build:prod
npm run package
This produces devexplain-1.0.0.vsix (bundled dist/extension.js; node_modules is not shipped).
Publish (after creating publisher BmadSoftware and a PAT with Marketplace → Manage):
npx @vscode/vsce login BmadSoftware
npx @vscode/vsce publish
Or: npx @vscode/vsce publish -p <YOUR_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN>
Privacy
API keys are read from VS Code settings (often stored securely by the editor). Code is sent only to the provider you select when you run explain commands (or to offline/mock providers when configured).
License
MIT — see LICENSE.
Changelog
1.0.0
- Initial marketplace-ready release: explain flow, static analysis, sidebar, optional apply-fix, multi-provider support, packaging metadata.
