Prompt Improver for VS Code

Transform vague prompts into clear, actionable requests that produce better AI-generated code.

A VS Code extension that analyzes and improves your GitHub Copilot Chat prompts using AI and rich workspace context.

✨ Features

Feature	Description
🧠 Intelligent Improvement	AI-powered prompt analysis and enhancement
🎯 Three Presets	Concise, Balanced, or Detailed improvement styles
🔍 Rich Context	Workspace metadata, Git status, open files, conversation history
📊 Prompt Analysis	Understand what makes prompts effective
🔄 Agent Handoff	Seamlessly transition to new chats without losing context
📋 One-Click Copy	Copy improved prompts instantly
🛡️ Robust Error Handling	Graceful degradation and user-friendly error messages
⚙️ Granular Control	Enable/disable specific context types

📚 Documentation

Document	Description
Quick Start	Get started in 2 minutes
Preset Comparison	Detailed comparison of Concise, Balanced, and Detailed presets
Error Handling	Comprehensive error handling guide
Changelog	Version history and updates

🚀 Quick Start

Installation

From VSIX (Development):

Clone this repository
Run npm install
Run npm run package
In VS Code: Extensions → "..." → Install from VSIX
Select the generated .vsix file

From Marketplace (Coming Soon): Search for "Prompt Improver" in VS Code Extensions.

Basic Usage

Improve a prompt:

@prompt-improver write a login function

Analyze a prompt:

@prompt-improver /analyze create a REST API with authentication

Create a handoff prompt:

@prompt-improver /handoff

🎯 Preset Styles

Choose the improvement style that fits your needs:

Preset	Speed	Detail Level	Best For
Concise	⚡ Fastest	Minimal	Quick iterations, simple prompts
Balanced	⚡ Fast	Moderate	Most coding tasks (recommended)
Detailed	🔄 Moderate	Extensive	Complex/production-critical tasks

All presets receive the same rich context:

Programming languages & frameworks
Open files with intelligent code synopsis
Git context (branch, status, commits, staged changes)
Conversation history
Project documentation (markdown files)
User-provided references (#file, @workspace)

The difference is in how each preset uses this context.

📖 Read the full preset comparison →

📖 Commands

`/improve` - Improve a Prompt (Default)

Transforms your prompt into a clear, actionable request.

Usage:

@prompt-improver write a function
@prompt-improver /improve create a REST API

With preset override:

@prompt-improver /concise add error handling
@prompt-improver /balanced create a component
@prompt-improver /detailed implement authentication

What it does:

Analyzes your original prompt
Gathers rich context (workspace, Git, files, conversation)
Generates an improved, more specific prompt
Provides a copy button for easy use

`/analyze` - Analyze Prompt Effectiveness

Explains what makes a prompt effective and provides recommendations.

Usage:

@prompt-improver /analyze create a REST API with proper error handling

Provides:

✅ Strengths of the prompt
⚠️ Areas for improvement
🎯 Specificity analysis
📋 Context evaluation
💡 Actionable recommendations

`/summary` - Summarize Conversation

Analyzes your conversation history to provide a clear, actionable summary of what you've been working on.

Usage:

@prompt-improver /summary
@prompt-improver /summary Focus on the authentication work

What it provides:

📋 Overview - Brief summary of the conversation (2-3 sentences)
🎯 Current State - What's been accomplished and what's pending
🔑 Key Decisions - Important technical choices and constraints discussed
🔍 Recent Focus - What the most recent exchanges have been about
➡️ Next Steps - Suggested logical next actions

Perfect for:

Getting back on track after a long conversation
Understanding the current state of your work
Planning next steps
Identifying blockers or issues

Integration with /improve: When you use /improve with "Include Conversation History" enabled, the improved prompt automatically includes a summary of what you've been working on. This ensures the improved prompt is contextually aware of your recent progress.

`/handoff` or `/new-chat` - Create Agent Handoff Prompt

Creates a context-preserving prompt for starting a new chat session.

Usage:

@prompt-improver /handoff
@prompt-improver /new-chat
@prompt-improver /handoff Focus on the authentication implementation

What it includes:

📜 Conversation history (last 10 exchanges)
💻 Workspace context (languages, technologies, open files)
🔀 Git context (branch, status, commits, staged changes)
🎯 Current state and next steps
📝 Technical decisions and requirements

Perfect for:

Long conversations that need to be split
Handing off work to a fresh agent
Starting a new chat without losing context
Avoiding token limits in long sessions

💡 Examples

Example 1: Basic Improvement

Before:

@workspace create a login page

After using @prompt-improver:

@workspace Create a React login page component with the following requirements:

**Core Functionality:**
- Email and password input fields with validation
- Form submission handling with error states
- Integration with our existing authentication context (AuthContext.tsx)
- Display loading state during authentication

**UI/UX:**
- Responsive design using our Tailwind CSS setup
- Accessibility features (ARIA labels, keyboard navigation, screen reader support)
- Error message display for failed login attempts
- "Remember me" checkbox with localStorage persistence

**Technical Requirements:**
- TypeScript with proper type definitions
- React hooks (useState, useContext, useEffect)
- Form validation using react-hook-form
- Password visibility toggle
- Rate limiting on client side (prevent spam submissions)

**Testing:**
- Unit tests for validation logic
- Integration tests for authentication flow

Example 2: Concise vs Balanced vs Detailed

Original prompt: add error handling

Concise output:

Add try-catch error handling to the login() function in auth.ts.
Catch network errors and invalid credentials.
Return error messages to the UI.

Balanced output:

Add comprehensive error handling to the login() function in src/auth/auth.ts.

Requirements:
- Wrap the authentication API call in try-catch
- Handle specific error types:
  * Network errors (timeout, connection failed)
  * Invalid credentials (401 response)
  * Server errors (500+ responses)
- Return user-friendly error messages to the LoginForm component
- Log errors to the console for debugging

Use the existing ErrorMessage component from src/components/ErrorMessage.tsx.
Follow the error handling pattern used in src/auth/register.ts.

Detailed output: (See PRESET_COMPARISON.md for full example)

⚙️ Requirements

VS Code: Version 1.105.0 or higher
GitHub Copilot: Extension installed and authenticated
Subscription: Active GitHub Copilot subscription

⚙️ Configuration

Preset Selection

Choose your default improvement style:

Via Settings UI:

Open Settings (Ctrl+, or Cmd+,)
Search for "Prompt Improver"
Select from System Prompt Preset dropdown

Via settings.json:

{
  "promptImprover.systemPromptPreset": "balanced"
}

Options: "concise", "balanced" (default), "detailed"

Model Selection

Default Behavior (Recommended): The extension automatically uses whatever model you have selected in Copilot Chat. If no model is selected, it falls back to gpt-4o-mini (the fastest model, free with your Copilot subscription). No configuration needed! 🎉

To override with a specific model:

Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P)
Run: Prompt Improver: Select Model from Available Options
Choose from available models

Manual Entry:

{
  // Leave empty to use current chat model (recommended)
  // Falls back to gpt-4o-mini if no model selected
  "promptImprover.modelFamily": ""
  
  // Or specify a model to always use it
  "promptImprover.modelFamily": "claude-sonnet-4"
}

Common options: gpt-4o, gpt-4o-mini, claude-sonnet-4, gemini-2.5-pro, o3-mini

Benefits:

✅ No configuration needed for most users
✅ Uses gpt-4o-mini by default (fast and free)
✅ Easy to experiment with different models (just switch in chat UI)
✅ Advanced users can still specify a model to always use

Context Control

Enable/disable specific context types:

{
  "promptImprover.includeWorkspaceMetadata": true,
  "promptImprover.includeConversationHistory": true,
  "promptImprover.includeMarkdownFiles": true,
  "promptImprover.includeOpenFileContents": true,
  "promptImprover.includeGitContext": true,
  "promptImprover.useWorkspaceTools": false
}

Setting	Description	Default
`includeWorkspaceMetadata`	Languages, technologies, open files	`true`
`includeConversationHistory`	Previous chat messages	`true`
`includeMarkdownFiles`	Project documentation	`true`
`includeOpenFileContents`	Intelligent code synopsis	`true`
`includeGitContext`	Branch, status, commits	`true`
`useWorkspaceTools`	VS Code's built-in tools (experimental)	`false`
`filterWorkspaceTools`	Filter tools to avoid VS Code bugs	`true`

Note: If you enable useWorkspaceTools, keep filterWorkspaceTools enabled to avoid a known VS Code bug. See WORKSPACE_TOOLS_FIX.md for details.

Custom System Prompt

Override the preset with your own instructions:

{
  "promptImprover.systemPrompt": "Your custom prompt template here..."
}

Available placeholders:

{userPrompt} - The original prompt
{languages} - Detected programming languages
{technologies} - Detected frameworks/technologies
{openFiles} - Currently open files

🛠️ Development

Setup

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Compile the extension
npm run compile

# Watch for changes
npm run watch

# Package for distribution
npm run package

Running the Extension

Open this folder in VS Code
Press F5 to launch Extension Development Host
In the new window, open the Chat view (Ctrl+Alt+I)
Try @prompt-improver commands

Testing

npm test

🔍 How It Works

Context Gathering
- Detects programming languages and frameworks
- Analyzes open files with intelligent code synopsis
- Extracts Git context (branch, status, commits)
- Scans relevant project documentation
- Captures conversation history
AI Analysis
- Uses GitHub Copilot Language Model API
- Analyzes prompt for clarity and specificity
- Incorporates gathered context
- Generates improved, actionable prompts
Error Handling
- Graceful degradation on failures
- User-friendly error messages
- Cancellation support
- Stream closure protection

📖 Read the error handling guide →

💡 Tips for Better Prompts

Tip	Example
✅ Be Specific	Instead of "create a function", say "create a TypeScript function that validates email addresses using regex"
✅ Provide Context	Mention your tech stack, frameworks, or coding patterns you want to follow
✅ Define Constraints	Specify requirements like error handling, testing, or performance considerations
✅ State Expected Output	Clarify if you want code, explanation, tests, or documentation
✅ Use References	Include `#file:path/to/file.ts` or `@workspace` for specific context

🔒 Privacy & Security

✅ Only accesses files and context already open in your workspace
✅ All processing happens through GitHub Copilot Language Model API
✅ No data sent to third-party services
✅ Follows GitHub Copilot's privacy and security policies
✅ Context gathering respects your settings and permissions

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Here's how you can help:

Report Bugs - Open an issue with details and reproduction steps
Suggest Features - Share your ideas for improvements
Submit PRs - Fix bugs or add features (please discuss first for major changes)
Improve Docs - Help make documentation clearer and more comprehensive

Development Setup:

git clone https://github.com/yourusername/vscode-chat-improve-prompt.git
cd vscode-chat-improve-prompt
npm install
code .
# Press F5 to start debugging

📜 License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details

🐛 Feedback & Support

Bug Reports: Open an issue
Feature Requests: Start a discussion
Questions: Check the documentation or open a discussion

🎉 Acknowledgments

Built with:

Enjoy better prompts and better AI responses!

Made with love for the VS Code community

Prompt Improver

The Real Gorgan

Prompt Improver for VS Code

✨ Features

📚 Documentation

🚀 Quick Start

Installation

Basic Usage

🎯 Preset Styles

📖 Commands

/improve - Improve a Prompt (Default)

/analyze - Analyze Prompt Effectiveness

/summary - Summarize Conversation

/handoff or /new-chat - Create Agent Handoff Prompt

💡 Examples

Example 1: Basic Improvement

Example 2: Concise vs Balanced vs Detailed

⚙️ Requirements

⚙️ Configuration

Preset Selection

Model Selection

Context Control

Custom System Prompt

🛠️ Development

Setup

Running the Extension

Testing

🔍 How It Works

💡 Tips for Better Prompts

🔒 Privacy & Security

🤝 Contributing

📜 License

🐛 Feedback & Support

🎉 Acknowledgments

`/improve` - Improve a Prompt (Default)

`/analyze` - Analyze Prompt Effectiveness

`/summary` - Summarize Conversation

`/handoff` or `/new-chat` - Create Agent Handoff Prompt