WriteAlt - AI Alt Text & SEO for VS Code

WriteAlt brings image accessibility into the developer workflow. Right-click a local image in the VS Code Explorer and WriteAlt will generate its description, find matching references in your workspace, and save the alt text directly into HTML, Markdown, JSX, or TSX files.

Features

• Generate alt text for the image at your cursor.
• Right-click a local image file and generate alt text without knowing URLs or API details.
• Generate descriptions for every missing image in the current file.
• Scan a file and show missing alt text in the Problems panel.
• Updates Markdown image syntax and HTML/JSX/TSX img elements.
• Finds local image references across the workspace and saves matching documents automatically.
• Supports your selected WriteAlt language, writing style, and optional SEO keywords.
• Stores the API key in VS Code Secret Storage.
• Uses the existing WriteAlt credit system and HTTPS API.
• Works with public HTTPS image URLs referenced by your code.

Quick start

1. Install WriteAlt - AI Alt Text & SEO from the VS Code Marketplace.
2. Open the Command Palette with Ctrl+Shift+P or Cmd+Shift+P.
3. Run WriteAlt: Configure API Key.
4. Paste the API key from WriteAlt API settings.
5. Right-click a local image file in the Explorer.
6. Select WriteAlt: Generate Alt Text for Image.

WriteAlt uploads the selected local image securely to the WriteAlt API, searches workspace HTML, Markdown, JSX, and TSX files for matching references, replaces their empty alt values, and saves those documents automatically. The generated text is also copied to the clipboard.

Bulk workflow

Run WriteAlt: Scan File for Missing Alt Text to mark images without descriptions in the Problems panel. Then run WriteAlt: Generate Missing Alt Text in File to process all missing image descriptions in the current file.

The bulk command only processes images with empty alt text. It does not overwrite existing descriptions. Use the cursor command when you intentionally want to regenerate one image.

Supported image references

The extension recognizes both local image paths and public HTTPS image URLs in:

![Product image](https://example.com/product.jpg)

<img src="https://example.com/product.jpg" alt="">

When you right-click a local image, the extension uploads the file as multipart/form-data; it never sends a file:// path to the API. The extension supports PNG, JPEG, WebP, GIF, and AVIF files. A local image must be inside an open VS Code workspace for automatic reference updates.

Privacy and security

The extension sends the selected image file or public image URL and generation settings to the WriteAlt API only when you run a generation command. Your API key is stored in VS Code Secret Storage and is sent over HTTPS in the API request header. The extension does not collect analytics, session recordings, fingerprints, or unrelated workspace files.

Review generated text before publishing. Alt-text needs depend on the image's purpose and surrounding content; decorative, functional, informative, and complex images may require different treatment.

Settings

Use VS Code Settings to configure:

• writealt.language - language code such as en, fr, es, or de.
• writealt.styleId - WriteAlt writing style from 1 to 5.
• writealt.keywords - optional product or SEO keywords.
• writealt.apiBaseUrl - production API base URL; leave unchanged unless WriteAlt support instructs you otherwise.

Support

Visit writealt.com or email support@writealt.com.