vscode-hive

From Vibe Coding to Hive Coding — The VS Code extension for reviewing and approving AI-generated plans.

Why Hive?

Your AI writes the plan. You review it. Then it executes. No surprises.

Vibe: Hope it works
Hive: Review → Approve → Confidence

Installation

From VS Code Marketplace

Open VS Code
Go to Extensions (Ctrl+Shift+X)
Search for "Hive"
Click Install

From VSIX

Download from Releases and install manually.

Features

See all your features at a glance with progress indicators.

💬 Inline Plan Review

Add comments directly on plan.md. Discuss, iterate, approve.

🔄 Real-time Updates

Watches .hive/ folder for changes. Always in sync.

🚀 OpenCode Integration

Launch tasks directly in OpenCode from the sidebar.

Usage

With GitHub Copilot

Install GitHub Copilot and Copilot Chat
Copy the Hive agent file to .github/agents/Hive.agent.md in your repository
Open Copilot Chat (Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+L) choose Hive agent and type:
```
I want hive to add user authentication
```
Copilot will:
- Create a feature with a detailed plan
- Wait for your review and approval
- Execute tasks in isolated git worktrees
- Generate commits and merge when ready

Key Features:

Plan-first approach: AI writes plans, you review before execution
23 integrated tools: From feature creation to merging
Parallel execution: Run multiple tasks at once with sub-agents
Persistent context: Research findings saved across sessions
TDD support: Built-in subtasks for test-driven development

Standalone Mode (without Copilot)

Hive activates when .hive/ folder exists in your workspace
Click the Hive icon in the Activity Bar
View features, tasks, and execution progress
Open plan.md to add review comments
Click "Done Review" when ready to continue

Commands

Command	Description
Hive: New Feature	Create a new feature
Hive: Refresh	Refresh the feature tree
View Details	Show feature details
View Report	Open feature report
Open in OpenCode	Open step in OpenCode

GitHub Copilot Setup

Prerequisites

VS Code 1.100.0 or higher - Required for LanguageModelTools API
GitHub Copilot - Install from VS Code Marketplace
GitHub Copilot Chat - Install from VS Code Marketplace
Hive Extension - This extension (tctinh.vscode-hive)

Installation Steps

Install the Hive extension from VS Code Marketplace
Copy the Hive agent file to your repository
Open Copilot Chat (Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+L) choose the Hive agent and start building:
```
I want to hive plan add user authentication
```

Agent File

The .github/agents/Hive.agent.md file defines how GitHub Copilot should use Hive tools. It includes:

---
description: 'Plan-first feature development with isolated worktrees...'
tools: ['vscode', 'execute', 'read', 'edit', 'tctinh.vscode-hive/hiveFeatureCreate', ...]
---
# Your custom instructions here

Tool names in frontmatter must match the Hive tool IDs exactly (for example, tctinh.vscode-hive/hiveStatus). Copilot does not support question(); ask only when critical and batch questions.

You can customize this file to add your own workflows and preferences.

Available Tools

Domain	Tools
Feature	`hiveFeatureCreate`, `hiveFeatureList`, `hiveFeatureComplete`
Plan	`hivePlanWrite`, `hivePlanRead`, `hivePlanApprove`
Task	`hiveTasksSync`, `hiveTaskCreate`, `hiveTaskUpdate`
Subtask	`hiveSubtaskCreate`, `hiveSubtaskUpdate`, `hiveSubtaskList`, `hiveSubtaskSpecWrite`, `hiveSubtaskReportWrite`
Exec	`hiveExecStart`, `hiveExecComplete`, `hiveExecAbort`
Merge	`hiveMerge`, `hiveWorktreeList`
Context	`hiveContextWrite`, `hiveContextRead`, `hiveContextList`
Status	`hiveStatus`

Usage Tips

Task names: Use kebab-case or snake_case. Spaces in task names may cause git worktree errors.
Context management: Copilot saves research findings automatically. Check .hive/features/<name>/context/ for reference.
Parallel execution: Use runSubagent for independent tasks. Each sub-agent gets full tool access.
Plan review: Open plan.md in VS Code to add comments, then click "Done Review" in the Hive sidebar.
Merging: hiveExecComplete commits changes, but you must call hiveMerge to integrate.

Troubleshooting

Issue: Copilot doesn't recognize Hive tools

Solution: Verify .github/agents/Hive.agent.md exists and has valid YAML frontmatter with correct tool names.

Issue: "Invalid reference" error when starting task

Solution: Task names with spaces may cause git worktree errors. Use kebab-case (e.g., user-auth instead of User Authentication).

Issue: Tools not available in Copilot Chat

Solution: Ensure both GitHub Copilot and Copilot Chat extensions are installed and activated. Restart VS Code if needed.

Pair with OpenCode

For the full workflow, install opencode-hive plugin.

Requirements

VS Code 1.80.0 or higher
A project with .hive/ folder (created by opencode-hive)

License

MIT with Commons Clause — Free for personal and non-commercial use. See LICENSE for details.

Stop vibing. Start hiving. 🐝

Agent Hive

TCTinh