AI Code Bridge - VSCode Extension

A VSCode extension that helps you work with AI assistants like Claude and ChatGPT. Export your code, get AI suggestions, and import changes safely with visual preview.

🎯 What Does It Do?

Export → Send code to AI → Get improvements back → Import with preview → Accept/Reject changes

📦 Installation

1. Download the .vsix file
2. In VSCode: Ctrl+Shift+P → "Extensions: Install from VSIX"
3. Select the file and reload VSCode

🚀 How to Use

Step 1: Export Your Code

Right-click any file/folder → Choose export option:

Option A: "Export to AI Snapshot" (Full Export)

• Exports file contents with a prompt template
• Select a prompt or choose "Without Prompt" for snapshot only
• A .md file is created in .agent/ folder
• Content is automatically copied to clipboard

Option B: "Export Structure Only" (New!)

• Exports only folder/file tree structure (no file contents)
• Perfect for large projects - let AI decide which files it needs
• AI returns a JSON array of file paths it wants to see
• Use the Export Tab to get contents of those specific files

Step 2: Send to AI

Paste the content into:

• Claude (claude.ai)
• ChatGPT (chat.openai.com)
• Any AI assistant

Tell the AI what you want:

• "Refactor this code"
• "Add error handling"
• "Fix security issues"
• "Add documentation"

Step 3: Import AI Changes

Click the AI Code Bridge icon in the left sidebar

Import Tab:

1. Paste the AI's JSON response
2. Click "Import from Text"
3. Preview each change side-by-side
4. Click Accept ✓ or Reject ✗ for each file
5. Use Stage Block to git stage approved changes

Export Tab (New!):

1. Paste the AI's JSON array of file paths (from Structure Export)
2. Select a prompt or choose "Without Prompt"
3. Click "Export File Contents"
4. Get a snapshot with only the requested files
5. Content is automatically copied to clipboard

Buttons available:

• Previous/Next Change (navigate)
• Stage Block (stage in git)
• Accept Change (apply this file)
• Reject Change (skip this file)
• Accept All (apply all changes)
• Reject All (cancel everything)

Step 4: Manage Prompts

Prompts Tab:

• View all prompt templates
• Create new prompts for your needs
• Edit existing ones
• Delete unused prompts

🔄 New Workflow: Structure-First Export

For large projects, use this efficient workflow:

1. Right-click on project folder → "Export Structure Only"
2. Select a prompt describing your task (or "Without Prompt")
3. Paste structure in AI assistant
4. AI analyzes structure and returns: ["src/app.js", "src/utils/helper.ts"]
5. Open AI Code Bridge sidebar → Export tab
6. Paste the JSON array of file paths
7. Select a prompt (or "Without Prompt")
8. Click "Export File Contents"
9. Content is copied - paste back to AI
10. AI now has only the files it needs!

Benefits:

• ✅ Don't overwhelm AI with unnecessary files
• ✅ AI chooses what it needs to see
• ✅ Faster and more focused responses
• ✅ Works great for large codebases

📝 AI Response Formats

For Code Changes (Import)

Your AI must return JSON in this format:

[
  {
    "type": "file",
    "path": "src/app.js",
    "lang": "javascript",
    "content": "console.log('new code');"
  }
]

For File Requests (Export Tab)

When using Structure Export, AI returns file paths:

["src/app.js", "src/utils/helper.ts", "package.json"]

Important: Each file should be on one line in the JSON array to keep files compact.

🎨 Built-in Prompt Templates

1. default - General code improvements
2. refactor - Clean code, SOLID principles
3. feature - Add new functionality
4. bugfix - Fix bugs with minimal changes
5. documentation - Add comments and docs
6. security - Security audit and fixes

⚙️ Settings

Ctrl+, → Search "AI Code Bridge":

• agentDirectory: Where snapshots are saved (default: .agent)
• excludeFolders: Folders to skip (node_modules, .git, etc.)
• excludeFileExtensions: File types to skip (.zip, .mp4, etc.)
• injectOutputFormat: Auto-add JSON format instructions to prompts
• outputFormatTemplate: Custom output format template for AI responses

💡 Quick Tips

Export:

• Select multiple files with Ctrl+Click
• Use "Export Structure Only" for large projects
• Use "Without Prompt" when you just need a snapshot
• Export only relevant files, not entire project
• Snapshots include: prompt name, date, hour, and minute

Import:

• Always preview before accepting
• Changes are copied to clipboard automatically
• Test after importing
• Commit to git before importing large changes

Export Tab:

• Supports JSON with or without markdown code blocks
• Validates file paths before exporting
• Shows warnings for invalid paths

Prompts:

• Create custom prompts for your project
• Include your coding standards
• Reuse across all projects

🔒 Safety

✅ Preview every change before applying
✅ Accept/reject individually
✅ Side-by-side diff view
✅ Stage changes in git directly
✅ No automatic changes

🐛 Troubleshooting

JSON Import Fails:

• Make sure AI returned only JSON array
• Check JSON syntax at jsonlint.com
• Remove any text before [ or after ]

Export Tab - Invalid Paths:

• Check file paths are relative to project root
• Use forward slashes in paths
• Make sure files exist in your project

Sidebar Not Showing:

• Click the AI Code Bridge icon in activity bar (left side)
• Reload VSCode: Ctrl+Shift+P → "Reload Window"

Stage Block Not Working:

• Ensure git extension is active
• Check if you're in a git repository

📊 System Requirements

• VSCode 1.80.0 or higher
• Works with any programming language
• Windows, macOS, Linux

🎓 Example Workflows

Standard Workflow

1. Right-click on src/ folder → Export to AI Snapshot
2. Select a prompt (or "Without Prompt")
3. Content is copied to clipboard automatically  
4. Paste in Claude/ChatGPT
5. Ask: "Add error handling to all functions"
6. Copy AI's JSON response
7. Open AI Code Bridge sidebar → Import tab
8. Paste JSON → Click "Import from Text"
9. Preview each change
10. Click "Accept" or "Stage Block" for good changes
11. Click "Reject" for unwanted changes
12. Done!

Structure-First Workflow (Large Projects)

1. Right-click on project → "Export Structure Only"
2. Select prompt describing your task
3. Paste in AI assistant
4. AI returns: ["path/to/file1.js", "path/to/file2.ts"]
5. Open sidebar → Export tab
6. Paste the JSON array
7. Select a prompt (or "Without Prompt")
8. Click "Export File Contents"
9. Paste the new snapshot back to AI
10. AI provides focused improvements
11. Import changes as usual
12. Done!

📄 License

MIT License - Free for personal and commercial use

Made for developers who use AI assistants 💙

Version 2.15.0 | 2025