Copy AI Ref
Copy file paths and line ranges in one keystroke. Give your AI coding assistant the exact place to look.
Select code → press Ctrl+Alt+C (macOS: Cmd+Option+C) → paste src/app.js#13-19 into your prompt.
Unlike copying a relative path alone, Copy AI Ref includes your cursor line or selected line range. It copies references, not code content. No API key, account, runtime dependencies, or per-project setup. The extension makes no network requests and collects no telemetry.
Quick start
- Install Copy AI Ref from VS Code's Extensions view.
- Open a local file and select code, or place the cursor on a line.
- Press Ctrl+Alt+C / Cmd+Option+C, or right-click → Copy AI Ref.
- Paste into your AI prompt. A brief status-bar message confirms the copy.
Your assistant must be able to access the referenced project. Pasting a reference does not upload or attach the file. Relative paths assume the assistant is working from the corresponding workspace folder; use absolute paths when its working directory differs.
What gets copied
| Action |
Output with default settings |
| Cursor on line 13 |
src/app.js#13 |
| Select lines 13–19 |
src/app.js#13-19 |
| Multiple cursors or selections |
One reference per selection, sorted by position, duplicates removed |
| Select files in Explorer |
One file path per line, without line numbers |
| Copy an absolute reference |
C:/project/src/app.js#13-19 on Windows, /home/you/project/src/app.js#13-19 on Linux |
For example, two selections produce:
src/app.js#13-19
src/app.js#42
For a one-off absolute path in your configured format, run Copy AI Ref (Absolute Path).
Copy whole-file references from Explorer
Select one or more files in the Explorer, then right-click:
- Copy AI Ref — copy file paths using your settings.
- Copy AI Ref (Absolute Path) — copy absolute file paths.
Files do not need to be open. References follow the Explorer's supplied selection order, one per line, with no line numbers. The prefixAt setting also applies to file references. Selections containing folders show a warning and leave the clipboard untouched.
Keyboard shortcut
| Platform |
Copy AI Ref (editor focused) |
| Windows / Linux |
Ctrl+Alt+C |
| macOS |
Cmd+Option+C |
To change a shortcut or resolve a conflict, open Preferences: Open Keyboard Shortcuts and search for Copy AI Ref. The absolute-path command can be bound independently. Explorer commands are available through its right-click menu.
Settings
Search for Copy AI Ref in Settings.
One example, @src/app.js#13-19, shows which part each setting controls:
Defaults: prefixAt: none, pathSeparator: slash, lineSeparator: #, rangeConnector: dash. The example above enables prefixAt: @.
Path mode: copyAiRef.pathMode chooses relative (default, src/app.js) or absolute (C:/project/src/app.js) for both editor and Explorer references.
Menu items: copyAiRef.showAbsoluteMenuItem (default on) shows Copy AI Ref (Absolute Path) in the editor and Explorer right-click menus. Turn it off for shorter menus; the command stays in the Command Palette and keeps any keyboard shortcut you bind to it.
Path and selection details
- A selection ending at the start of the next line excludes that next line.
- Relative paths use the containing workspace folder, without its display name. Files outside the workspace, or files opened without a workspace, fall back to absolute paths.
- In multi-root workspaces, relative paths can be ambiguous when different roots contain the same path. Choose absolute paths to distinguish them.
- Only
file: resources are supported. Untitled documents, virtual documents, and remote URI schemes are not supported. Save untitled files locally before copying.
- References describe the editor's current line positions. Save changes before asking an assistant that reads from disk to inspect them.
- Unrecognized setting values fall back to their defaults. Copy failures show an error instead of a success message.
Local installation and maintenance
For a local package, use Extensions: Install from VSIX.
Run node test.js to check reference formatting and command behavior with a mocked VS Code API. Before release, verify editor and Explorer right-click menus, multi-file selection, absolute paths, and platform shortcuts in VS Code.
License
MIT
