Brains Copilot for VS Code
Bring a curated catalog of Claude, GPT, Gemini, Grok, and open models into your editor, together with Brains Copilot skills, a persistent coding agent, and multi-agent Team Mode.
Everything runs in a focused sidebar chat, so you can understand, change, and validate a project without leaving VS Code.
Details
Brains Copilot combines model choice, project context, file editing, terminal validation, and reusable skills in one native VS Code workflow. The extension uses your Brains Copilot account and plan; you do not need separate accounts for each model provider.
- Free: 25 messages per day, no credit card required.
- Pro: larger limits and stronger coding models.
- Pro Max: flagship models and Team Mode.
Your API key is stored in VS Code SecretStorage. It is never written to settings.json, chat history, or your source code.
Features
| Feature |
What it does |
| Streaming chat |
Renders Markdown and code blocks with Copy and Insert into editor actions. |
Complete / menu |
Search every command and available skill, grouped and fully keyboard accessible. |
| File attachments |
Add images, PDF, Word, text, or source files from your computer — or drag them in from the Explorer. |
| Conversation history |
Reopen local conversations and continue where you stopped. |
| Model catalog |
Switch between curated models allowed by your plan, or let Auto route the task. |
| Agent Mode |
Reads, searches, edits, and validates files as a persistent mission. |
| Mission Mode |
Keeps the goal, progress, definition of done, and checkpoint across VS Code restarts. |
| Team Mode |
On Pro Max, specialists explore, implement, review, and synthesize the result. |
| Workspace permissions |
Choose Ask every time, Full access, or separate decisions per capability. |
| Monorepo support |
Detects the right subproject and stack before running builds, tests, or lint. |
| Native VS Code integration |
Detected validations become Tasks; test suites appear in Test Explorer. |
| Editor context menu |
Explain, refactor, document, or generate tests for the selected code. |
Supported validation stacks include Node.js (npm, pnpm, Yarn, and Bun), .NET, Python, Go, Rust, Maven, and Gradle.
Get started in two minutes
1. Create or sign in to your account
Open brainscopilot.com/en/conta. A free account is enough to use the extension.
2. Generate an API key
On the Account page, scroll to API keys (CLI & extension) and select Generate new key.
The full key is displayed only once. Select Copy and keep the page open until you finish connecting VS Code. The key shown below is a documentation example and is not valid.
4. Connect VS Code
- Install Brains Copilot and select the Brains icon in the Activity Bar.
- Paste the key beginning with
brains_sk_ into the access screen.
- Select Connect. The chat opens as soon as the key is validated.
If you do not have a key yet, select Sign in or create account from the extension access screen. Brains Copilot opens the correct site page for you.
Use the chat
- Ask a question normally for a streamed response with Markdown and code actions.
- Type
/ to open the complete command and skill menu.
- Use
@ to attach a workspace file as context.
- Use the attachment button for images, PDF, Word, and files outside the workspace.
- Select the current model in the header to open the model catalog.
- Open settings from the composer to control reasoning, response language, Agent Mode, Team Mode, account, and usage.
Built-in slash commands include:
/explicar, /refatorar, /documentar, /testes, /build, /testar, /verificar-tudo, /modelo, /config, /conta, /permissoes, /historico, /anexar, /agente, /equipe, /missao, /relatorio, /retomar, /cancelar, /reverter, /diagnostico, /avaliar, and /limpar.
The extension also lists every skill available to your account in the same menu.
Agent Mode
Agent Mode turns a request into a persistent mission:
- It discovers relevant project files and subprojects.
- It reads and searches within the configured safety rules.
- It proposes focused edits and shows the diff.
- It runs the appropriate build, test, or lint command after permission is granted.
- It reports which files were actually changed and which checks passed.
The mission panel shows the active phase, files, and completion criteria. Checkpoints let you revert mission changes without overwriting files you edited afterward.
Permissions and safety
- Ask every time: confirm writing and execution in the chat.
- Full access: allow approved agent operations in the current trusted workspace.
- Custom: decide separately for reading, writing, execution, network, Git, installation, and connectors.
Full access never bypasses path validation, secret protection, Workspace Trust, .brainsignore, or brains.contextExclude. Files such as .env, private keys, credentials, and secrets remain blocked. Generated directories such as bin, obj, dist, build, and coverage output are excluded from automatic context.
Team Mode
Team Mode is available on Pro Max:
fast: one focused implementer.reviewed: explorer, implementer, and reviewer.swarm: reviewed team plus an independent verifier.
When Agent Mode is also enabled, the team plans and reviews while the primary agent edits and validates the workspace.
Settings
Open Settings → Extensions → Brains Copilot:
| Setting |
Default |
Purpose |
brains.model |
auto |
Default model. Auto chooses according to the task and plan. |
brains.lang |
pt |
Response language: pt, en, or es. |
brains.effort |
off |
Model reasoning effort when supported. |
brains.teamMode |
reviewed |
Team intensity: fast, reviewed, or swarm. |
brains.missionAutoResume |
true |
Resume interrupted missions in trusted workspaces. |
brains.autoContext |
ask |
Ask, always allow, or disable automatic project context. |
brains.contextExclude |
[] |
Additional patterns excluded from automatic context. |
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to pay?
No. The Free plan provides 25 messages per day without a credit card. Extension requests use your Brains Copilot quota.
Where is my API key stored?
In VS Code secure secret storage. Disconnect from the chat settings to remove it locally, or revoke it under Account → API keys on the site.
Which models can I use?
The selector shows the official catalog available to your current plan. Free includes Auto and free models; Pro and Pro Max unlock additional premium tiers. Arbitrary provider IDs are not accepted.
Does it work offline?
No. The extension connects to the Brains Copilot API over the internet.
Can it read an untrusted workspace?
Chat remains available, but automatic file access, edits, and command execution require a trusted workspace.
Full documentation · Account and API keys · Brains Copilot
