Copy Code Reference for AI

Copy code references — @src/foo.ts:10-20 (relative) or @/Users/you/project/src/foo.ts:10-20 (absolute) — straight to the clipboard, ready to paste into Claude Code, the built-in VS Code Chat, or any other AI input.

Works with both VS Code and Cursor.

Commands

• With just a caret (no selection), each command copies a single-line reference (e.g. @src/foo.ts:10).
• Copy Code Reference as... appears in the editor's right-click menu under the Copy/Paste section.
• Rebind either shortcut independently from VS Code's Keyboard Shortcuts UI.
• The relative command falls back to the absolute path when the file is outside every workspace folder.
• The remote reference command copies a GitHub/GitLab/Bitbucket permalink. After copying, a prompt offers to Open in Browser.

"Copy as..." quick-pick

The Copy Code Reference as... command opens a menu showing every available format with a live preview of the output for your current selection:

$(file-code) Claude Code        @src/reference.ts#13-19
$(file-code) OpenCode           @src/reference.ts:13-19
$(file-code) Plain              src/reference.ts:13-19
$(gear) Custom (current)        @src/reference.ts:13-19
$(link) Remote Permalink        https://github.com/owner/repo/blob/abc/src/reference.ts#L13-L19

Pick one and it copies immediately — your format setting is not changed.

Copy a file reference from the Explorer

Select a file in the Explorer and press Ctrl+Shift+C / Cmd+Shift+C to copy a path-only reference (no line numbers), e.g. @src/foo.ts. Handy for pointing an AI agent at a whole file.

This is a keyboard-only shortcut — it deliberately does not add a command-palette or right-click entry, since the Explorer already has its own copy actions.

Configure its prefix independently with copyCodeRefForAi.fileRefPrefix:

{
  // copy file references as "#src/foo.ts" while code references stay "@src/foo.ts:10-20"
  "copyCodeRefForAi.fileRefPrefix": "#"
}

When unset (the default), it inherits the prefix from your active format profile. Use copyCodeRefForAi.explorerPathMode to choose relative vs. absolute paths.

Settings

Every setting is optional — the defaults above are used when a setting is absent. The block below lists all settings at their default values:

{
  "copyCodeRefForAi.format": "custom",
  "copyCodeRefForAi.prefix": "@",
  "copyCodeRefForAi.pathLineSeparator": ":",
  "copyCodeRefForAi.lineRangeSeparator": "-",
  "copyCodeRefForAi.remoteRef": "commit",
  "copyCodeRefForAi.explorerPathMode": "relative",
  "copyCodeRefForAi.fileRefPrefix": null
}

Format profiles

Set copyCodeRefForAi.format to one of the built-in profiles to switch formats without touching the individual separator settings:

Existing users with custom separator settings see no change — the default is "custom".

Output format examples

• Default: @src/foo.ts:10-20
• Single line (no selection): @src/foo.ts:10
• Absolute: @/Users/you/project/src/foo.ts:10-20
• Claude Code profile: @src/foo.ts#10-20
• Remote (GitHub): https://github.com/owner/repo/blob/abc123/path/file.ts#L10-L20

Example settings.json

{
  "copyCodeRefForAi.format": "claude-code",
  "copyCodeRefForAi.remoteRef": "commit"
}

Or with full custom separators:

{
  "copyCodeRefForAi.format": "custom",
  "copyCodeRefForAi.prefix": "@",
  "copyCodeRefForAi.pathLineSeparator": ":",
  "copyCodeRefForAi.lineRangeSeparator": "-",
  "copyCodeRefForAi.remoteRef": "commit"
}

Notes

Claude Code may auto-convert @file:line to @file#line — both formats resolve to the same lines.