AutoDocGen – Intelligent Code Documentation

AutoDocGen is a Visual Studio Code extension that generates inline documentation for your functions and methods. It supports both cloud generation (Groq) and local generation via Ollama, with a simple preference to choose how docs are produced.

Features

• Automatic documentation with JSDoc / JavaDoc / Python docstrings
• Cloud or Local generation: Groq API or Ollama
• Per-file history to avoid duplicates and re-run only when logic changes
• Skips already documented functions by default
• Command-driven workflow for precise control

Requirements

• VS Code 1.102+
• Node.js 20+
• For Cloud mode: Groq API key and model
• For Local mode: Ollama

Installation (Development)

git clone https://github.com/<your-name>/autodocgen
cd autodocgen
npm install
npm run watch

Open the folder in VS Code and press F5 to launch the Extension Development Host.

Configuration

Open VS Code Settings and search for “AutoDocGen”, or use your settings.json.

Common settings:

• autodocgen.generationMode (cloud | local | ask)
  • How docs are generated: Groq, local Ollama, or ask every run.
• autodocgen.groqApiKey (string)
  • Your Groq API key for cloud doc generation. Create/view at https://console.groq.com/keys.
• autodocgen.groqModel (string)
  • Groq model name for cloud generation. See https://console.groq.com/docs/models.
• autodocgen.availableModels (array)
  • Options shown in the “Select LLM Model” picker for local generation.
• autodocgen.manualMode (boolean)
  • If true, runs only via commands. No automatic scanning.
• autodocgen.overwriteExistingDocs (boolean)
  • If true, replaces existing docs (behavior may be limited in this release).

Cloud example:

{
  "autodocgen.generationMode": "cloud",
  "autodocgen.groqApiKey": "YOUR_GROQ_API_KEY",
  "autodocgen.groqModel": "llama-3.1-70b-versatile"
}

Local example:

{
  "autodocgen.generationMode": "local"
}

Then run “AutoDocGen: Select LLM Model” to choose/download your local model.

Commands

• AutoDocGen: Run Prompt with Model (autodocgen.runPrompt)
• AutoDocGen: Show Selected Model (autodocgen.debugPrintModel)
• AutoDocGen: Document Current File (autodocgen.scanCurrentFile)
• AutoDocGen: Document Selected Function (autodocgen.documentSelection)
• AutoDocGen: Reset Doc History (autodocgen.resetDocHistory)
• AutoDocGen: Select LLM Model (autodocgen.selectModel)

Generation Modes

Choose via autodocgen.generationMode:

• Cloud (Groq)
  • Requires autodocgen.groqApiKey and autodocgen.groqModel.
  • API key: https://console.groq.com/keys, Models: https://console.groq.com/docs/models.
• Local (Ollama)
  • Requires Ollama running locally.
  • Use “AutoDocGen: Select LLM Model” to pick a model (e.g. mistral:7b, codellama:7b). If missing, you’ll be prompted to download.
• Ask Every Time
  • The extension will prompt you to choose Cloud vs Local each time you run a doc-generation command.

Where history is stored:

<workspace>/.autodocgen/history/<relative/path/to/file>.json

Supported Languages

How It Works

1. Parses the active file to find functions and checks for existing docs.
2. Builds a language-aware prompt from each undocumented function body.
3. Sends the prompt to Groq (Cloud) or Ollama (Local) based on your preference.
4. Inserts the generated doc block and records a per-file history entry to avoid duplicates.

Troubleshooting

• Missing/invalid Groq credentials
  • Set autodocgen.groqApiKey and autodocgen.groqModel in Settings.
• Ollama not installed or running
  • Install from https://ollama.com/download and ensure it’s running.
• Local model not downloaded
  • Choose “Yes” when prompted to download or run ollama pull <model> manually.
• Nothing inserted
  • The function may already be documented or recorded in history. Use “AutoDocGen: Reset Doc History” for that file.

Development

Scripts:

npm run compile   # Build TypeScript into out/
npm run watch     # Watch mode for development
npm run lint      # Lint sources
npm test          # Run extension tests

Open in VS Code and press F5 to start an Extension Development Host.

Security & Privacy

• Cloud mode sends prompt content (function bodies) to Groq.
• Local mode keeps generation on your machine via Ollama.

License

MIT. See LICENSE for details.