🔮 Chipz AI - VS Code Extension

AI-powered Verilog RTL code generation for hardware designers. Generate synthesizable Verilog code from natural language specifications using state-of-the-art LLMs.

✨ Features

🤖 AI-Powered Generation: Generate Verilog code from natural language descriptions
🎯 Multiple Backends: Support for AWS Bedrock (Claude), Google Gemini, and local models
🚀 Fast & Easy: Simple interface integrated directly into VS Code
📝 Smart Insertion: Insert generated code directly at cursor or replace selection
🎨 Beautiful UI: Dark purple themed interface with syntax highlighting
🔌 Flexible Deployment: Works with local server or cloud API

📦 Installation

Method 1: Install from VSIX (Manual)

Download the latest chipz-ai-X.X.X.vsix file
Open VS Code
Open Command Palette (Cmd+Shift+P on Mac, Ctrl+Shift+P on Windows/Linux)
Type "Install from VSIX" and select Extensions: Install from VSIX...
Select the downloaded VSIX file

Or via command line:

code --install-extension chipz-ai-0.1.0.vsix

Method 2: Install from VS Code Marketplace

(Coming soon)

🚀 Quick Start

1. Start the Backend Server

Option A: Local Server (for development)

# From the RTL project root
cd vscode-extension/backend
python start_server.py

The server will start at http://localhost:8000

Option B: Cloud Server (for production)

Use the AWS-deployed endpoint (see backend deployment docs)

2. Configure the Extension

Open VS Code Settings (Cmd+, or Ctrl+,)
Search for "Chipz AI"
Set Chipz-ai: Api Endpoint to your server URL:
- Local: http://localhost:8000 (default)
- Cloud: https://your-api-gateway-url.amazonaws.com/production
(Optional) Set Chipz-ai: Api Key if using cloud with authentication

3. Generate Your First Module

Open or create a Verilog file (.v or .sv)
Open Command Palette (Cmd+Shift+P / Ctrl+Shift+P)
Type "Chipz AI: Generate Verilog from Specification"
Enter your specification in the panel
Click "🚀 Generate Verilog"
Insert the generated code into your file!

📚 Usage Examples

Example 1: Simple Multiplexer

Specification:

Create a 2-to-1 multiplexer with inputs a, b, sel and output out.
When sel is 0, output a. When sel is 1, output b.

Generated Code:

module mux2to1 (
    input wire a,
    input wire b,
    input wire sel,
    output wire out
);

assign out = (sel) ? b : a;

endmodule

Example 2: 4-bit Counter

Specification:

Create a 4-bit up counter with:
- Clock input: clk
- Reset input: reset (active high, synchronous)
- Enable input: enable
- Output: count[3:0]

The counter increments on rising clock edge when enabled.

Generated Code:

module counter_4bit (
    input wire clk,
    input wire reset,
    input wire enable,
    output reg [3:0] count
);

always @(posedge clk) begin
    if (reset) begin
        count <= 4'b0000;
    end else if (enable) begin
        count <= count + 1'b1;
    end
end

endmodule

⚙️ Configuration

Extension Settings

Setting	Default	Description
`chipz-ai.apiEndpoint`	`http://localhost:8000`	Server endpoint URL
`chipz-ai.apiKey`	`""`	API key for authentication
`chipz-ai.timeout`	`120000`	Request timeout (ms)
`chipz-ai.preferredBackend`	`bedrock`	Default backend config
`chipz-ai.autoInsert`	`false`	Auto-insert generated code
`chipz-ai.showNotifications`	`true`	Show notification messages

Backend Configurations

The server supports multiple AI backends:

AWS Bedrock (Claude 3.5 Sonnet) - High quality, production-ready
Google Gemini - Fast and cost-effective

Configure backends in the server's config files (see backend README).

🎨 Commands

Access via Command Palette (Cmd+Shift+P / Ctrl+Shift+P):

Chipz AI: Generate Verilog from Specification - Open generation panel
Chipz AI: Test Server Connection - Verify server connectivity
Chipz AI: Open Settings - Quick access to extension settings

🔧 Troubleshooting

Server Not Connected

Problem: Status bar shows "❌ Not connected"

Solutions:

Check if server is running:
```
curl http://localhost:8000/health
```

Start the server:

cd vscode-extension/backend
python start_server.py

Verify endpoint in settings matches your server URL
Test connection: Use Command Palette → "Chipz AI: Test Server Connection"

Generation Takes Too Long

Problem: Request times out after 2 minutes

Solutions:

Increase timeout in settings (chipz-ai.timeout)

Check AWS credentials (for Bedrock backend):

aws sts get-caller-identity --profile chipz

Try a different backend (Gemini is typically faster)

AWS Authentication Errors

Problem: "Backend not available" with Bedrock

Solutions:

Refresh AWS SSO credentials:
```
aws sso login --profile chipz
```

Verify Bedrock access:

aws bedrock list-foundation-models --region us-east-1

Check IAM permissions include bedrock:InvokeModel

Generated Code Has Errors

Problem: Code doesn't compile or has syntax errors

Solutions:

Make specification more detailed - Include all ports, behaviors, edge cases
Specify module name and interface explicitly
Try regenerating - AI models can produce different results
Use a different backend - Some models may produce better results

📖 Documentation

🤝 Contributing

This is an MVP/internal tool. For bugs or feature requests, contact the Chipz AI team.

📝 License

MIT License - See LICENSE file for details

🔗 Links

GitHub Repository: https://github.com/chipz-ai/vscode-extension
Backend API: See backend README
Issue Tracker: https://github.com/chipz-ai/vscode-extension/issues

💡 Tips

Be specific - More detailed specifications produce better code
Include edge cases - Mention reset behavior, clock edges, etc.
Name things - Specify module names and signal names
Test locally first - Use local server for development
Save history - Generated code is shown in panel until closed

🎯 Roadmap

[ ] Testbench generation
[ ] Code validation with iverilog
[ ] Multi-file project generation
[ ] Code refactoring suggestions
[ ] Integration with synthesis tools

Made with 🔮 by Chipz AI