AI Studio is a Visual Studio 2022, 2026 extension that adds AI-assisted code generation, refactoring, documentation, testing, and security analysis to the IDE directly from the context menu.
Table of Contents
Highlights
- Seamless right-click workflow across C#, XAML, and most text-based files inside Visual Studio.
- Supports OpenAI, Azure AI, Anthropic (Claude), and Ollama (local or cloud) — switch provider from the Options page.
- Generates or updates code while preserving formatting, documentation, and project conventions.
- Built-in commands for documentation, explanations, security review, and unit test creation keep teams in flow.
- Integrated Output tool window supports follow-up chat, a dedicated New Chat command, and smooth streaming updates without focus jumps.
Requirements
- Visual Studio 2022 17.6 or later with the VSIX extension workload installed.
- An API key for your chosen provider (not required for local Ollama) with network access from the IDE.
- .NET Framework 4.8 SDK (installed with Visual Studio) for local builds.
Installation
Marketplace (recommended)
- Open Visual Studio and choose
Extensions > Manage Extensions.
- Search for AI Studio.
- Click Download and restart Visual Studio to complete the installation.
Build from source
- Clone or fork this repository.
- Open
AI Studio.sln in Visual Studio 2022.
- Build the solution in
Release mode.
- Double-click the generated
.vsix under bin\Release to install it into your local instance.
Quick Start
- Choose a provider and obtain an API key if required (see the Provider Setup section below).
- Configure AI Studio via
Tools > Options > AI Studio > General: set the AI Provider, paste the key, and enter the model or deployment name.
- Pick a feature (for example, Code It) by selecting code, right-clicking, and choosing the desired AI Studio command.
Provider Setup
AI Studio supports four providers out of the box. Switch between them at any time under Tools > Options > AI Studio > General.
OpenAI
| Setting |
Value |
| AI Provider |
OpenAI |
| API Key |
Your key from platform.openai.com/account/api-keys |
| Language Model |
e.g. gpt-4o-mini, gpt-4o, o4-mini |
| API Endpoint |
https://api.openai.com/v1/ (default) |
Azure AI
Use this provider for Azure AI Foundry or Azure OpenAI resources that expose the Azure openai/v1 endpoint.
| Setting |
Value |
| AI Provider |
AzureAI |
| API Key |
Your key from the Azure portal or Azure AI Foundry |
| Language Model |
The Azure model or deployment name, e.g. gpt-4o-mini |
| API Endpoint |
e.g. https://your-resource.openai.azure.com/openai/v1/ |
Enter the Azure base URL only. AI Studio appends /chat/completions automatically.
Anthropic (Claude)
| Setting |
Value |
| AI Provider |
Anthropic |
| API Key |
Your key from console.anthropic.com/settings/keys |
| Language Model |
e.g. claude-sonnet-4-6, claude-opus-4-6, claude-haiku-4-5 |
| API Endpoint |
(not used — hardcoded to https://api.anthropic.com/v1/messages) |
Ollama
Ollama can run models locally on your machine or via the Ollama cloud.
Local
| Setting |
Value |
| AI Provider |
Ollama |
| API Key |
(leave empty) |
| Language Model |
e.g. llama3.2, mistral, codestral |
| API Endpoint |
http://localhost:11434 |
Pull a model first with ollama pull llama3.2, then start Ollama before using AI Studio commands.
Cloud
| Setting |
Value |
| AI Provider |
Ollama |
| API Key |
Your key from ollama.com (if required) |
| Language Model |
e.g. mistral, llama3.2 |
| API Endpoint |
https://ollama.com |
AI Studio uses Ollama's native /api/chat endpoint. The endpoint field should be the base URL only — do not include /api or any path suffix.
Using Any Other OpenAI-Compatible Endpoint
Select OpenAI as the provider and change the API Endpoint to your private or self-hosted URL (e.g. https://llm.internal/api/v1). Enter the API key issued by that gateway and set the appropriate model name.
All context menu commands show their responses in the Chat window first. No setting is required, and files stay unchanged until you choose to apply a result. This works with every provider, including local Ollama.
- Replace Selection is available for Add Summary, Add Comments, and Refactor.
- Insert into Editor is available for Code It and inserts after the original selection.
- Copy is available for all responses, including explanations, security reviews, and unit tests.
Editor actions open a diff preview with Apply and Cancel. They target the original file and selection even after you switch editors. If that selection has changed or its editor has closed, run the command again. Cancelled, failed, or empty responses cannot be applied. Follow-up questions retain the original code and command context.
Command Cheat Sheet
| Command |
When to use |
Output |
| Code It |
Turn TODOs or signatures into working code. |
Shows an implementation in Chat with an insert action. |
| Add Comments |
Document existing logic without manual XML comments. |
Adds inline comments or summaries. |
| Add Summary |
Produce XML doc comments for public APIs. |
Generates <summary> and related tags. |
| Refactor |
Improve readability or performance of selected code. |
Shows an optimized version in Chat with a replace action. |
| Explain |
Understand unfamiliar code quickly. |
Displays a plain-language explanation. |
| Security Check |
Inspect code for risky patterns and mitigations. |
Lists potential vulnerabilities plus suggestions. |
| Add Unit Tests |
Generate unit tests tailored to the selected method. |
Creates a new test class or method snippet. |
| New Chat |
Start a clean conversation without selecting code. |
Opens the AI Studio response window with an empty chat. |
Feature Walkthrough
Code It
- Place the caret on an empty method or select a stub.
- Right-click and choose
AI Studio > Code It.
- Review the generated implementation and accept or adjust as needed.
- Highlight the code you want documented.
- Run
AI Studio > Add Comments.
- Review the commented code in Chat, then choose Replace Selection to preview and apply it.
Refactor
- Select a method or block.
- Choose
AI Studio > Refactor.
- Compare the result with the original and apply the pieces you want to keep.
Add Summary
- Select a method header or type declaration.
- Run
AI Studio > Add Summary.
- Review the documented code in Chat, then choose Replace Selection to preview and apply it.
Explain
- Highlight unfamiliar code.
- Choose
AI Studio > Explain.
- Read the explanation in Chat and ask follow-up questions.
New Chat
- Right-click in the editor and choose
AI Studio > New Chat.
- AI Studio opens the response window with an empty conversation.
- Type a question in the input bar and press Enter to send.
Security Check
- Select code that handles I/O, crypto, or user data.
- Run
AI Studio > Security Check.
- Review the flagged issues and suggested mitigations.
Unit Test Generation
- Highlight a method to test.
- Run
AI Studio > Add Unit Tests.
- AI Studio generates arrange/act/assert scaffolding tailored to the method.
Test Configuration
Configure test generation under Tools > Options > AI Studio > Unit Test.
- Custom instructions let you specify frameworks (xUnit, NUnit, MSTest), naming rules, or mocking preferences.
- Response behavior controls how aggressively tests are regenerated versus appended.
Configuration
All configuration lives under Tools > Options > AI Studio:
- General
- Paste your API key, pick the default model, and decide whether to format AI changes automatically.
- Toggle telemetry/diagnostics and adjust temperature or response size if needed.
- Commands
- Override the system prompt for each command, enforce coding guidelines, or switch to a custom model per command.
- Unit Test
- Choose the target test framework, namespace, class name template, and add reusable instructions for deterministic tests.
Advanced Customization
- Custom prompts per command: Tailor Refactor to focus on performance while Configure Comments to prioritize XML docs using
Tools > Options > AI Studio > Commands.
- Bring your own endpoint: Point the extension at a private/self-hosted LLM gateway or any OpenAI-compatible proxy by entering the base URL and model ID in the General page.
- Formatting control: Enable Format changed text to run Visual Studio formatting on every AI edit to keep diffs clean.
- Response behavior: Decide whether AI should insert results inline, append to the Output window first, or prompt for confirmation.
Troubleshooting and Feedback
- Verify your API key and quota if requests fail; the Output tool window surfaces errors returned by the provider.
- Ensure Visual Studio can reach your provider endpoint (corporate proxies may need to allowlist it).
- Capture screenshots/logs and open an issue for bugs or ideas.
- Contributions are welcome via pull requests; please include before/after screenshots for UI tweaks.
License
AI Studio is released under the MIT License. Use it in personal or commercial projects with attribution.
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