CodeScribe

A Visual Studio Code extension that generates, updates, and keeps project documentation in sync with your codebase.

Key Features

• Generate professional README.md files from project metadata
• Create summaries and API-style docs using AI-powered prompts
• Sync documentation to reflect folder and file structure changes
• Configurable AI backend and temperature/max-token settings

Requirements

• Visual Studio Code 1.60 or later
• Node.js 16+ (for development tasks)

Quickstart

1. Install the extension locally or from the Marketplace.
2. Open the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P / Cmd+Shift+P).
3. Run the CodeScribe: Generate README command to create a README from your project.

Configuration

Open Settings and configure the following under the codescribe section:

• codescribe.openRouterApiKey (string) — Required. Your OpenRouter / DeepSeek API key used for AI generation. Keep this secret; do not commit it to source control.
• codescribe.defaultTemperature (number) — Optional. Controls AI creativity (default: 0.4).
• codescribe.maxTokens (number) — Optional. Max tokens for generation (default: 1200).

Commands

• CodeScribe: Generate README — Generate or refresh README.md for the current workspace.
• CodeScribe: Sync Docs — Scan the project and update documentation files to match folder structure.

Set / Update API Key (command)

Use this command to securely set or update your OpenRouter API key without editing settings.json manually:

1. Open the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P / Cmd+Shift+P).
2. Run CodeScribe: Set / Update API Key.
3. Enter your OpenRouter API key when prompted — the key is stored in your global VS Code settings under codescribe.openRouterApiKey.

If you need to remove or change the key later, re-run the command and provide a new key, or remove the value from Settings.

Developer Guide

To build and run the extension locally:

npm install
npm run compile

Run the extension in the debugger:

1. Press F5 in VS Code or choose Run > Start Debugging.
2. A new Extension Development Host window opens with the extension loaded.

To watch for TypeScript changes while developing:

npm run watch

Run tests:

npm test

Lint and format:

npm run lint

Security and Secrets

• Do not hard-code API keys in source files. Use the codescribe.openRouterApiKey setting or environment variables when running locally.
• Treat generated content as a draft: review AI-generated text before publishing.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome. Open issues or submit pull requests for bug fixes and enhancements. Follow standard GitHub flow and include tests for new features.

Troubleshooting

• If AI calls fail, check codescribe.openRouterApiKey in Settings and verify network connectivity.
• For TypeScript build errors, run npm run compile to see detailed diagnostics.

License

MIT — see the LICENSE file for details.

⚠️ Important: API Key Required

CodeScribe uses AI (via OpenRouter + DeepSeek) to generate README files.

You must provide your own OpenRouter API key:

1. Go to https://openrouter.ai
2. Create a free account
3. Generate an API key
4. Open VS Code Settings
5. Search for CodeScribe
6. Paste your API key into codescribe.openRouterApiKey

Without an API key, AI generation will not work.