A modern, feature-rich AI coding assistant for VS Code that helps you code more efficiently with intelligent suggestions, explanations, and real-time assistance. The extension features a sleek, user-friendly chat interface and powerful customization options.
✨ Features
Modern Chat Interface - Clean, responsive design with message bubbles and intuitive controls
Multiple AI Models - Choose from various AI models to suit your needs
Code Formatting - Automatic code formatting with syntax highlighting
Conversation History - Save and review your chat history
Customizable Settings - Fine-tune the assistant's behavior to your preferences
Dark/Light Theme Support - Automatically adapts to your VS Code theme
API Key Management - Securely store and manage your API keys
📋 Requirements
VS Code 1.80.0 or higher
Node.js 16.x or later
npm or bun package manager
🚀 Installation
From VS Code Marketplace
Open VS Code
Go to Extensions view (Ctrl+Shift+X)
Search for "Code Explorer"
Click Install
Reload VS Code when prompted
From VSIX
Download the latest .vsix file from the Releases page
In VS Code, go to Extensions view (Ctrl+Shift+X)
Click on the ... menu and select "Install from VSIX..."
Select the downloaded .vsix file
Reload VS Code
🛠️ Configuration
Setting Up Your API Key
Click the Code Explorer icon in the activity bar
Click the settings (⚙️) icon in the top-right corner
Enter your API key in the settings panel
Click "Save" to apply your changes
Available Settings
Setting
Description
Default
codeExplorer.apiKey
Your API key for the AI service
""
codeExplorer.model
The AI model to use (e.g., "gpt-4", "claude-3-opus")
"gpt-4"
codeExplorer.temperature
Controls randomness (0.0 to 2.0)
0.7
codeExplorer.saveHistory
Whether to save conversation history
true
codeExplorer.autoFormatCode
Automatically format code blocks
true
💡 Usage
Starting a New Chat
Click the Code Explorer icon in the activity bar
Type your message in the input field at the bottom
Press Enter or click the send button (⇧+Enter for new line)
Keyboard Shortcuts
Command
Shortcut
Focus Chat Input
Ctrl+Shift+P then type "Focus Code Explorer Input"
New Chat
Ctrl+Shift+P then type "Code Explorer: New Chat"
Toggle Settings
Ctrl+Shift+P then type "Code Explorer: Toggle Settings"
Example Prompts
Code Explanation: "Can you explain how this function works?"
Debugging: "I'm getting an error: 'Cannot read property X of undefined'"
Code Generation: "Write a React component that displays a todo list"
Code Review: "How can I improve this code's performance?"
🧩 Advanced Features
Custom Instructions
Set custom instructions to guide the AI's behavior:
Open Settings (Ctrl+,)
Search for "Code Explorer Custom Instructions"
Enter your instructions (e.g., "Always respond in Spanish")
Code Actions
Right-click on selected code to access context-aware actions:
Explain Code
Refactor
Add Documentation
Find Bugs
🤝 Contributing
Contributions are welcome! Please read our Contributing Guidelines for details on our code of conduct and the process for submitting pull requests.
📄 License
This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.
🙏 Acknowledgments
Built with ❤️ using TypeScript and React
Powered by modern AI technologies
Special thanks to all contributors and users!
github-ai-assistant.apiKey: Your GitHub Personal Access Token
github-ai-assistant.defaultModel: The default AI model to use
Privacy and Security
All communication with the AI models is encrypted
Your code is not stored permanently without your explicit permission
API keys are stored securely in your system's credential store
