Ghostwriter for VS Code

AI-assisted content creation tool powered by GitHub Copilot for interviews and writing workflows. This extension provides an in-editor experience for conducting AI-driven interviews and generating polished articles from transcripts.

Screenshots

Home View

Interview Mode

Writer Mode

Voice Generator Mode

Features

AI-Powered Interview Mode

• Interactive AI Interviews: Conduct dynamic interviews with GitHub Copilot asking relevant questions
• Smart Conversation Flow: AI adapts questions based on your responses
• Auto-completion Detection: Automatically detects when the interview is complete
• Model Selection: Choose from available GitHub Copilot models (GPT-4o, GPT-4o mini, etc.)
• Transcript Management: Automatically saves formatted transcripts to the .ghostwriter folder
• Hot Module Replacement: Fast development with HMR support

Advanced Writer Mode

• Transcript Selection: Browse interview transcripts from your workspace or select custom files
• Voice File Integration: Apply writing style from voice files for consistent tone
• Model Selection: Choose specific GitHub Copilot models for content generation
• Writing Style Options:
  • Formal, Casual, or Conversational tone
  • Automatic heading generation
  • SEO optimization
• Keyword Optimization: Define target keywords for improved search engine visibility
• Frontmatter Templates: Create reusable YAML frontmatter templates for consistent article metadata
• Real-time Streaming: Watch your article being generated in real-time
• Direct File Save: Save generated articles directly to your workspace

Voice Generator Mode

• Writing Style Analysis: Automatically analyze your existing writing to create a personalized voice profile
• Smart Content Discovery: Recursively searches for markdown files in your selected folder
• Recent Content Priority: Analyzes your most recent writing (up to 20 files) to capture your current style
• Comprehensive Voice Profile: Generates detailed analysis including:
  • Voice characteristics (tone, pacing, formality)
  • Style rules and guidelines
  • Lexicon (favorite phrases, words to avoid)
  • Structure patterns
• Automatic Storage: Voice profiles saved to .ghostwriter/voices/ folder
• Easy Integration: Use generated voice files in Writer mode for consistent content

State Persistence

• Model Preferences: Selected GitHub Copilot model persists across sessions
• Frontmatter Templates: Save and reuse frontmatter templates for all articles

Getting Started

1. Install the extension
2. Ensure you have GitHub Copilot subscription and extension installed
3. Open a workspace folder in VS Code
4. Use the Command Palette (Cmd+Shift+P / Ctrl+Shift+P) and run Ghostwriter: Open Ghostwriter
5. Choose between Interview or Writer mode

Usage

Conducting an AI Interview

1. Open the Ghostwriter panel
2. Click on "Start Interview"
3. Select your preferred GitHub Copilot model
4. Answer the AI's questions in the chat interface
5. The AI will automatically detect completion and generate a formatted transcript
6. Transcript is saved to .ghostwriter/transcripts/ folder

Generating Content from Transcripts

1. Open the Ghostwriter panel
2. Click on "Write Article"
3. Select a transcript from your workspace or browse for a custom file
4. (Optional) Select a voice file to maintain consistent writing style
5. Configure writing options:
   • Choose writing style (Formal/Casual/Conversational)
   • Enable/disable headings and SEO optimization
   • Add target keywords for SEO
   • Configure frontmatter template
6. Select your preferred GitHub Copilot model
7. Click "Start Writing"
8. Watch the article generate in real-time
9. Save the article to your workspace

Setting Up Frontmatter Templates

1. In the Writer view, expand "Writing Options"
2. Click "Add Frontmatter Template"
3. Enter your YAML frontmatter template:

   ---
   title: ""
   date: ""
   tags: []
   draft: false
   ---
   

4. Click "Save Template"
5. The template will be applied to all future articles

Generating a Voice Profile

1. Open the Ghostwriter panel
2. Click on "Generate Voice"
3. Select your preferred GitHub Copilot model
4. Click "Generate Voice Profile"
5. Select a folder containing your writing samples (blog posts, articles, etc.)
6. Wait for the AI to analyze your writing style
7. Voice profile is automatically saved to .ghostwriter/voices/voice-YYYY-MM-DD.md
8. Review and customize the generated profile if needed
9. Use the voice file in Writer mode to maintain your unique style

File Structure

The extension creates a .ghostwriter folder in your workspace root:

.ghostwriter/
├── transcripts/     # Interview transcripts (.md files)
└── voices/          # Voice files for writing style (.md files)

Commands

• Ghostwriter: Open Ghostwriter - Open the main editor panel

Requirements

• VS Code 1.108.1 or higher
• GitHub Copilot subscription
• GitHub Copilot extension installed
• An open workspace folder

Extension Settings

This extension stores the following in workspace state:

• Selected GitHub Copilot model ID
• Frontmatter template for articles

Development

Building

• npm run compile - Compile TypeScript
• npm run watch - Watch mode for TypeScript
• npm run build:webview - Build webview with Vite
• npm run dev - Start Vite dev server with HMR
• npm run clean - Remove build artifacts

Contributing

This extension is part of the Ghostwriter ecosystem:

• ghostwriter-app - Electron app
• ghostwriter-agents-ai - AI agent services

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Enjoy writing with Ghostwriter and GitHub Copilot!