RefineID: AI Identifier Renaming for VS Code

Spot unclear names and rename them safely, powered by local or cloud LLMs.

Table of Contents

• What it does
• Quick start
• Settings
• Commands
• Requirements
• Demo video
• Learn more

What it does

RefineID analyzes your Java and Python files, flags unclear identifiers, and suggests stronger names right in the editor.

• Inline suggestions (CodeLens) at the identifier definition
• One-click apply to rename all occurrences safely throughout the workspace
• Reject & Hide to silence unwanted suggestions
• Undo to restore the original name
• Local-first mode via your backend; Cloud or Ollama optional

Quick start

1. First, clone the required backend from the RefineID repository:
   https://github.com/SMART-Dal/RefineID
   Follow the backend README instructions to run the API server.

2. Install RefineID from the VS Code Marketplace.

3. Open a Java or Python file.

4. Save once to trigger analysis.

5. Look for the RefineID gutter icon and hover the identifier.

6. Choose Confirm, Reject, See more, Hide, or Undo.

7. You can also open the extension Settings (via the gear icon ⚙ in the panel or through VS Code settings) to configure your preferred mode:

   • local
   • ollama
   • cloud

Tip: Open the RefineID side panel from the Activity Bar for quick actions.

Settings

Open Settings → Extensions → RefineID (or click ⚙ Settings in the panel):

• refineid.mode — local, ollama, or cloud
• refineid.backendUrl — backend API base (default http://localhost:8000)
• refineid.ollama.apiBase — Ollama endpoint (http://localhost:11434/v1 or http://host.docker.internal:11434/v1 via Docker)
• refineid.ollama.model — e.g., llama3:latest
• refineid.cloud.provider — openai, anthropic, gemini, custom
• refineid.cloud.apiKey — your key (stored in user settings)
• refineid.cloud.model — e.g., gpt-4o-mini, claude-3-5-sonnet, gemini-1.5-pro

Commands

• RefineID: Reset Ignored Identifiers — clear rejected items
• RefineID: Hide All Identifiers — hide suggestions and gutter icons
• RefineID: Show All Identifiers — show hidden suggestions again
• RefineID: Open Settings — jump to configuration

Requirements

• VS Code 1.101.0+
• For all three modes (local, ollama, and cloud), the RefineID backend is required.
  The backend used by this extension is available in this GitHub repository:
  https://github.com/SMART-Dal/RefineID
  It serves as the main engine powering all inference modes.

Demo video

• Watch: RefineID demo
• Covers: configuration, getting suggestions, user actions, and switching between local/cloud/Ollama modes.

Learn more

• Full docs and backend setup: see the root project README.
• Privacy: code stays local unless you pick cloud/ollama and supply your own endpoint.
• Changelog: CHANGELOG.md
• Issues & requests: GitHub Issues