Contexto

Turn your workspace files and folder structure into clean, AI-ready prompts in 1 click.

Local-first, ultra-fast VS Code extension optimized for Anthropic Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, DeepSeek, and Cursor.

💡 What is Contexto?

When you ask AI (like Claude or ChatGPT) to debug code, refactor components, or explain a repository, the AI needs two things:

1. Your directory structure (to understand project architecture)
2. Your source files (cleanly formatted with exact file paths)

Doing this manually is frustrating — you copy/paste file by file, format paths by hand, accidentally include huge build directories like node_modules, and quickly blow past your AI token limits.

Contexto solves this in 1 click. Select your files with native checkboxes in VS Code, and Contexto instantly packages your entire codebase into a clean, token-counted prompt ready to paste.

✨ Core Features

🗂️ 1. Three First-Class Modes

• Generate Full Context: Complete AI prompt with optional instructions, directory tree, and formatted file contents.
• Copy Directory Structure: Instant visual tree of your workspace or folder (zero file reading, ultra-fast).
• Copy File Paths: Flat list of relative file paths for quick referencing.

📝 2. Three Output Formats (Optimized for LLMs)

Choose the output style that matches your AI workflow:

• XML (<![CDATA[...]]>) — Default & Recommended: Uses <file path="..."> tags with CDATA escaping. This is the gold standard for Anthropic Claude and OpenAI models because it prevents code syntax from breaking markdown parsers.
• Markdown: Standard fenced code blocks with automatic syntax highlighting for over 40+ programming languages.
• Plain Text: Minimalist delimiter headers for simple, raw text pasting.

🚫 3. 1-Click Smart Ignore & Unignore

Never worry about node_modules, .git, or build caches polluting your prompt:

• 1-Click Ignore ($(eye)): Click on any file or folder in the sidebar or Explorer to instantly exclude it (folders recursively ignore children with folder/**).
• 1-Click Unignore ($(eye-closed)): Bring back any ignored file or folder with 1 click. Unignoring a folder automatically restores all its children.
• Smart Precedence: Contexto evaluates rules seamlessly: $$\text{Explicit Unignore} \longrightarrow \text{User Ignore} \longrightarrow \text{Inherited Folder} \longrightarrow \text{.contextignore} \longrightarrow \text{.gitignore} \longrightarrow \text{Default Ignores}$$
• Persistent: Your choices are saved to .vscode/settings.json so they survive VS Code restarts.

👁️ 4. Interactive Live Preview Panel

• Live Stats: View estimated tokens, character count, total lines, and file count in real time.
• Format Switcher: Toggle between XML, Markdown, and Plain Text tabs instantly.
• Export Options: 1-click Copy to Clipboard or Export to File (.xml, .md, .txt).
• Live Sync: Updates automatically as you check/uncheck files in the sidebar tree.

🔒 5. 100% Local & Privacy-First

• Zero Telemetry / No Cloud: Runs 100% locally on your machine. No code is ever uploaded to any server.
• Sensitive File Shield: Automatically detects and excludes .env, *.pem, *.key, and credentials.
• Binary Detection: Automatically skips images, videos, audio, zip archives, and compiled binaries.
• Max File Size Guard: Configurable file size threshold (default: 1 MB) to prevent accidental memory lag.

🚀 How to Use Contexto

Method 1: The Activity Bar Sidebar (Recommended)

1. Click the Contexto icon on the VS Code Activity Bar (media/activitybar-icon.svg).
2. Use the checkboxes in the tree view to select the files and folders you want in your context.
3. Use the header action buttons:
   • $(play) Generate Prompt / Live Preview — Opens the interactive Live Preview tab.
   • $(copy) Copy Prompt — Copies the full prompt in your default format (XML).
   • $(chevron-down) Copy Prompt As... — Pick XML, Markdown, or Plain Text on the fly.
   • $(list-tree) Copy Structure — Copies only the directory tree.
   • $(check-all) Select All / $(clear-all) Unselect All — Bulk selection controls.
4. Paste directly into your AI chat window!

Method 2: File Explorer Context Menu

Right-click any file or folder in the VS Code Explorer:

• Add to Context — Add target to your current context selection.
• Copy Context — Instantly generate and copy context for that specific file or folder.
• Copy Structure — Copy just the directory tree of the folder.
• Copy Paths — Copy relative file path(s) to clipboard.
• Ignore in Context ($(eye)) / Unignore ($(eye-closed)) — 1-click ignore toggle.

Method 3: Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P / Cmd+Shift+P)

Open the VS Code Command Palette and type Contexto:

• Contexto: Open
• Contexto: Generate Prompt / Live Preview
• Contexto: Copy Prompt
• Contexto: Copy Prompt As...
• Contexto: Copy Structure
• Contexto: Copy Paths
• Contexto: Select All Files
• Contexto: Clear / Unselect All
• Contexto: Export Context to File

📋 Generated Prompt Example

Here is an example of what Contexto generates in XML mode:

This is the repository context for workspace: my-app

Directory Structure:
├── src/
│   ├── auth/
│   │   └── login.ts
│   └── index.ts
└── package.json

<file path="src/auth/login.ts">
<![CDATA[
export async function authenticate(user: string, pass: string) {
  // Authentication logic
  return { success: true };
}
]]>
</file>

<file path="src/index.ts">
<![CDATA[
import { authenticate } from './auth/login';
console.log('App started');
]]>
</file>

⚙️ Configuration Reference

Customize Contexto settings anytime via Settings (Ctrl+, or Cmd+, → search Contexto):

🌟 Contributing & Feedback

• GitHub Repository: MYSELF-SAYAN/contexto
• Report an Issue: github.com/MYSELF-SAYAN/contexto/issues
• Star on GitHub: If Contexto saves you time, please give the repo a ⭐ on GitHub!

📄 License

Distributed under the MIT License. See LICENSE for details.