EchoDE

An autonomous coding agent that reads, understands, and writes code alongside you.

Most AI coding tools wait for you to explain what you need. EchoDE is different. It explores your codebase, understands the architecture, and takes action—all within VS Code.

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The Problem with Traditional Copilots

You paste code into a chat. You explain the context. You describe the file structure. You fix the hallucinated imports. Repeat.

EchoDE eliminates this friction. It has direct access to your workspace and a suite of tools to navigate it. When you ask it to fix a bug, it finds the relevant files first. When you ask it to add a feature, it understands where that feature should live.

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How It Works

EchoDE operates as an agent, not just a text generator. It follows a structured workflow:

1. Understand — Searches and reads your codebase to gather context
2. Plan — Creates a task list and outlines the approach
3. Execute — Makes targeted edits with precision
4. Verify — Runs diagnostics and fixes errors automatically

This loop happens transparently. You see what it reads, what it plans, and what it changes—before it happens.

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Core Capabilities

Agentic Tooling

EchoDE can invoke tools to interact with your workspace:

Tool	Purpose
read_file	Read file contents with line numbers
grep_search	Fast text search across the codebase
glob_search	Find files by pattern
list_files	Explore directory structure
edit	Make surgical edits to existing files
write_to_file	Create new files or complete rewrites
delete_file	Remove files safely
get_diagnostics	Collect linter and compiler errors
todo_write	Create and manage task lists
todo_read	Review current task progress
plan	Create detailed implementation plans in Plan Mode

These tools mean EchoDE doesn't guess. It knows.

Multi-Model Support

Choose the model that fits your workflow:

• Anthropic Claude — Claude 3.5/4 series with extended thinking
• OpenAI — GPT-4o, GPT-4 Turbo, o1, and newer models
• Qwen — Alibaba's Qwen models for cost-effective performance
• OpenAI-Compatible — Any provider with OpenAI-compatible API (Groq, Together, local models)
• VS Code Language Model — Use models provided by other VS Code extensions
• Custom Providers — Define your own OpenAI-compatible endpoints

Configuration happens in the sidebar. No JSON files to edit.

Custom Providers

Add your own OpenAI-compatible providers for maximum flexibility:

1. Open Settings > API Configuration
2. Click "Add Custom Provider"
3. Enter a name, base URL, and optional API key
4. Select your custom provider from the dropdown

Useful for self-hosted models, private endpoints, or providers not natively supported.

MCP (Model Context Protocol)

EchoDE supports MCP servers, allowing you to extend the agent with external tools. MCP enables integration with databases, APIs, file systems, and custom services.

Configuration:

1. Open Settings > MCP Servers
2. Click "Edit Configuration" to open the JSON config file
3. Define your MCP servers (stdio or HTTP transport)
4. Connect servers individually and toggle tools on/off

Example configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "filesystem": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem", "/path/to/allowed/dir"]
    },
    "postgres": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-postgres", "postgresql://localhost/mydb"]
    }
  }
}

MCP tools appear alongside built-in tools and can be enabled or disabled per server.

Intelligent Autocomplete

Beyond chat, EchoDE provides inline code suggestions as you type.

Keybinding	Action
Ctrl+Shift+Space	Trigger autocomplete manually
Ctrl+Right	Accept next word
Ctrl+Down	Accept next line

Partial acceptance lets you take what you need without committing to the full suggestion.

Auto-Diagnostics

After every file edit, EchoDE automatically checks for errors.

If it breaks something, it knows immediately—and attempts to fix it. This self-healing behavior reduces the back-and-forth of "you introduced a type error" messages.

Configuration options:

Setting	Default	Description
echode.diagnostics.enabled	true	Enable automatic error detection
echode.diagnostics.delay	800ms	Wait time for language server analysis
echode.diagnostics.maxIterations	3	Maximum automatic fix attempts
echode.diagnostics.timeout	5000ms	Maximum wait time for diagnostics

Git Integration

One-click commit message generation. EchoDE analyzes your staged changes and writes a conventional commit message. No more staring at a blank input field.

Access it from the Source Control panel or via command palette.

Chat History

All conversations are saved automatically. Access previous sessions through the History panel:

• Search sessions by title
• Load any previous conversation
• Delete sessions you no longer need

Sessions persist across VS Code restarts.

System Prompt Customization

Define custom instructions that shape the AI's behavior:

Via Settings: Open Settings > System Prompt and enter your custom instructions. These apply to all conversations.

Via AGENTS.md: Create an AGENTS.md file in your workspace root. EchoDE automatically reads this file and incorporates its contents into the system prompt. Useful for project-specific coding standards, architectural guidelines, or team conventions.

The file is excluded from workspace context display but remains accessible to the agent.

Context Management

Control how much context is sent to the model:

• Max Context Tokens — Set a custom limit for the context window (default: 128,000)

Configure in Settings > Context.

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Modes of Operation

EchoDE operates in four distinct modes, each designed for specific workflows. Switch modes using the dropdown in the chat header.

Agent Mode

The default and most powerful mode. EchoDE has full read-write access to your workspace.

Available Tools:

• File operations: read_file, write_to_file, edit, delete_file
• Search: grep_search, glob_search, list_files
• Task management: todo_write, todo_read
• Quality assurance: get_diagnostics

Workflow:

1. Receives your request
2. Searches the codebase to gather context
3. Creates a task list to track progress
4. Makes targeted edits using edit or write_to_file
5. Runs diagnostics to catch and fix errors
6. Continues until the task is complete

Best for: Feature implementation, bug fixes, refactoring, code generation.

Plan Mode

Exploration and architecture mode. EchoDE analyzes your codebase and produces a detailed implementation plan without modifying any files.

Available Tools:

• Search: grep_search, glob_search, list_files
• Read-only: read_file
• Planning: plan, todo_write, todo_read

Workflow:

1. Explores the codebase to understand structure
2. Identifies relevant files and dependencies
3. Produces a step-by-step implementation plan
4. Outputs the plan using the plan tool for structured display

Best for: Understanding unfamiliar codebases, architectural decisions, scoping work before implementation, onboarding to new projects.

Ask Mode

Read-only exploration mode. EchoDE can search and read your codebase but cannot modify anything.

Available Tools:

• Search: grep_search, glob_search, list_files
• Read-only: read_file

Workflow:

1. Receives your question
2. Searches for relevant code
3. Reads files to understand context
4. Provides explanations and answers

Best for: Code review, learning how something works, understanding dependencies, answering architectural questions.

Chat Mode

Pure conversation mode. No tools, no file access. EchoDE responds based solely on its training and any context you provide in the message.

Available Tools: None

Workflow: Direct question-and-answer without workspace interaction.

Best for: General programming questions, discussing concepts, brainstorming ideas, conversations unrelated to your current codebase.

Review Mode

Code analysis mode. EchoDE reviews your codebase and publishes structured findings without making changes.

Available Tools:

• Search: grep_search, glob_search, list_files
• Read-only: read_file
• Analysis: get_diagnostics, publish_findings

Workflow:

1. Analyzes specified files or directories
2. Identifies issues, improvements, and patterns
3. Publishes findings in a structured format

Best for: Code audits, security reviews, identifying technical debt, quality assessments.

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Image Support

Attach images to your messages for visual context:

• Screenshots: Show UI bugs, error messages, or expected behavior
• Mockups: Describe designs you want to implement
• Diagrams: Explain architecture or data flow
• Code screenshots: Reference code from external sources

Supported by models with vision capabilities (Claude 3.5/4, GPT-4o, GPT-4 Turbo).

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Getting Started

1. Install — Search "EchoDE" in the VS Code Extensions marketplace
2. Open the Sidebar — Click the EchoDE icon in the Activity Bar
3. Configure a Provider — Open settings and add your API key
4. Start Coding — Type your request and let EchoDE work

No workspace configuration required. No .echode folders. It works out of the box.

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Feedback

Found a bug? Have a suggestion? Open an issue on GitHub.

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Licensed under MIT.