CiD - Companion in Development

An open-source VS Code extension that helps newcomers understand and contribute to open-source repositories through AI-generated architectural diagrams.

Features

CID is an AI assistant extension that helps developers understand, analyze, and visualize their codebase with multiple AI model support.

🤖 Multi-Model AI Support

• GPT (OpenAI): Use OpenAI's GPT models for code analysis
• Gemini (Google): Leverage Google's Gemini Pro models
• Ollama: Run local models for privacy-focused development

📊 Mermaid Diagram Generation

Automatically generate visual diagrams of your project structure:

• Analyze repository architecture
• Create flowcharts and dependency diagrams
• Render diagrams with interactive pan and zoom

Commands:

For generating new diagram based on current repository:

CID: Generate and Show Mermaid for Project

For rendering the mermaid file opened on WebView:

CID: Render Mermaid File on Webview

🎨 Custom Sidebar View

Access CiD features through a dedicated sidebar panel in the Activity Bar:

• Quick access to the chat interface
• Generate graphs [TODO]
• Easy navigation to all CiD commands [TODO]

Requirements

API Keys (Optional, based on model choice)

Depending on which AI model you want to use, you'll need:

• OpenAI GPT: OpenAI API key
• Google Gemini: Google AI API key
• Ollama: Local Ollama installation (no API key needed, just the name of the chosen model)

Dependencies

The extension automatically includes:

• openai - OpenAI SDK
• @google/genai - Google Generative AI SDK
• ollama - Ollama JavaScript library
• mermaid - Diagram rendering
• dotenv - Environment variable management

Installation

1. Install the extension from the VS Code Marketplace (when published)
2. Or run from source:

   npm install
   npm run compile
   

3. Configure your preferred AI model in the extension settings

Usage

Generating Project Diagrams

1. Open your project in VS Code
2. Run: CID: Generate and Show Mermaid for Project
3. View the interactive diagram in a new panel

Available Commands

Extension Settings

This extension is currently in early development. Configuration settings will be added in future releases for:

• AI model selection
• API endpoints
• Custom prompts
• Output preferences

Known Issues

• The extension is in active development (v0.0.1)
• Some commands are experimental and may require additional configuration
• Python analysis feature is optimized for Python files only (needs help)
• At the current state, the graph generation won't work due to a bug (explained in [Issue #8](https://github.com/Marreco202/cid-extension/issues/8))

Architecture

Services

• GPTService.ts - OpenAI GPT integration
• GeminiService.mts - Google Gemini integration
• OllamaService.ts - Local Ollama model support
• RepositoryService.ts - Workspace file analysis

Providers

• ChatViewProvider.ts - Chat interface management
• MermaidViewProvider.ts - Diagram rendering
• ModelProvider.ts - AI model factory
• RepoDataProvider.ts - Repository data collection
• FunctionsTreeDataProvider.ts - Sidebar tree view

Release Notes

0.0.1

Initial development release:

• Multi-model AI support (GPT, Gemini, Ollama)
• Interactive chat interface with streaming responses
• Mermaid diagram generation
• Python function analysis
• Custom sidebar integration

Contributing

We welcome contributions from the community! Please read our Contributing Guidelines to understand our workflow, commit convention, and how to submit a Pull Request. Please also review our Code of Conduct before participating.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.

Enjoy using CID!