Prompt Optimizer Lite
A lightweight VS Code extension that transforms rough ideas into high-quality, execution-ready prompts — powered by your current chat model with automatic local fallback.
Install
From VS Code Marketplace (Recommended)
Search "Prompt Optimizer Lite" in VS Code Extensions, or install via CLI:
code --install-extension lab-overflow.prompt-optimizer-vscode-lite
From Source
- Clone and open this repo in VS Code.
- Install dependencies and compile:
npm install
npm run compile
- Press
F5 to launch Extension Development Host.
Build and Install VSIX
npm run package
code --install-extension prompt-optimizer-vscode-lite-1.1.2.vsix
Features
- Zero Configuration — Install and start optimizing. No API keys, no external services, no account registration.
- Chat Participant — Type
@promptopt in VS Code Chat to optimize prompts conversationally.
- Editor Command — Select text and run
Prompt Optimizer Lite: Optimize Prompt from the command palette, or right-click for the context menu option.
- Manual Input — No selection needed. Run the command without selecting text and a prompt input box will appear.
- Multiple Output Options — Replace selection, insert at cursor, copy to clipboard, or open as a Markdown preview.
- 3-Layer Fallback — Primary: current VS Code chat model → Fallback: local Python optimizer → Emergency: built-in structured template. Works even fully offline.
How to Use
Method 1: Chat Participant
Open VS Code Chat and type:
@promptopt Optimize this into an execution-ready prompt: build a customer service chatbot
The extension uses the current chat model (Copilot, Codex, Claude, etc.) to optimize your prompt.
Method 2: Editor Command
- With selection: Select rough prompt text in your editor → Run
Prompt Optimizer Lite: Optimize Prompt from command palette (Ctrl+Shift+P / Cmd+Shift+P), or right-click and select from the context menu.
- Without selection: Run the same command → A prompt input box appears for you to type or paste your rough prompt.
- Choose an output action:
Replace Selection — Overwrite the selected text with the optimized promptInsert At Cursor — Insert the optimized prompt at the current cursor positionCopy To Clipboard — Copy to clipboard for use anywhereOpen Preview — Open as a Markdown document for review
Typical Use Cases
- Turn product requirement notes into execution-ready prompts
- Turn coding task ideas into structured coding-agent prompts
- Turn writing outlines into prompts with output format and acceptance criteria
- Turn ambiguous requests into prompts with assumptions, constraints, and verification checks
Fallback Behavior
| Priority |
Method |
When |
| 1st |
VS Code chat model |
Default — uses request.model in chat, vscode.lm.selectChatModels() in command mode |
| 2nd |
Local Python script |
When model invocation fails — runs scripts/fallback_optimize.py locally |
| 3rd |
Built-in template |
When Python is also unavailable — generates a structured prompt template |
This 3-layer fallback ensures the extension always produces a result, even without network access.
Settings
| Setting |
Type |
Default |
Description |
promptOptimizerLite.replaceSelection |
boolean |
false |
When true, automatically replace selected text with the optimized result. When false, show an action picker to choose the output destination. |
promptOptimizerLite.fallbackPythonCommand |
string |
"" |
Custom Python command for fallback execution (e.g., /usr/bin/python3). Leave empty to auto-detect python3 or python. |
Requirements
- VS Code
1.105.0 or later
- A VS Code chat model provider (Copilot, Codex, or any Claude-compatible chat provider) for primary optimization
- Python
3.x (optional, for fallback optimization when model is unavailable)
Links
