AI Error Explainer

AI-powered error explanations, right inside VS Code.

Hover over any error or warning to get a clear, plain-language diagnosis of what went wrong, why it happened, and how to fix it — powered by the AI of your choice.

Table of Contents

• Why This Extension?
• Features
• Supported AI Providers
• Example
• Setup
• How It Works
• Settings Reference
• Privacy & Security
• FAQ
• Known Limitations
• License
• Author

Why This Extension?

Cryptic error messages waste time. Instead of copy-pasting errors into a browser tab and searching through forum posts, get an instant, plain-language diagnosis without ever leaving your editor.

This extension follows one core principle: bring your own key. There's no subscription, no server in the middle, and no vendor lock-in — you choose the AI provider you already trust, and every request goes directly from your machine to theirs.

Features

Supported AI Providers

Use whichever AI you already have access to — free or paid:

Already have a subscription to one of these? You can use the same API key here — no extra cost.

Example

Before — you hit a confusing error:

const users = getUsers();
users.map(user => console.log(user.name));

TypeError: Cannot read properties of undefined (reading 'map')

Hover over the red underline, and AI Error Explainer instantly shows:

AI Error Assistant

What happened? The users variable is undefined. Why? getUsers() did not return an array. Fix: Make sure getUsers() returns an array, or add a fallback like getUsers() || [].

View Details

Click View Details to open a dedicated side panel with a clean, full breakdown — no squinting at a tiny tooltip.

Setup

1. Install the extension from the VS Code Marketplace
2. Get a free API key from any provider in the table above
3. Open VS Code Settings (Ctrl+,) and search for "AI Error Explainer"
4. Set Provider to match your key's source
5. Paste your key into Api Key
6. (Optional) Set your preferred Language
7. That's it — hover over any error or warning in your code

How It Works

Your code
   ↓
VS Code detects an error
   ↓
You hover over it
   ↓
Extension sends the error message + a few nearby lines to your chosen AI
   ↓
AI explains what happened, why, and how to fix it
   ↓
Click "View Details" for the full diagnosis

Only a small snippet — the error message and a few surrounding lines — is ever shared. Never your whole file, never your whole project.

Settings Reference

Privacy & Security

• ✅ No data is collected or stored by this extension. Nothing is sent to any server we control — there is no "we" in the data path at all.
• ✅ Your API key never leaves your machine except to talk directly to the provider you chose. It's stored in VS Code's local settings, same as any other extension setting.
• ✅ Only a small snippet is shared — the error message and a few nearby lines, never your whole file.
• ✅ This extension never modifies your code. It only explains errors — it does not apply or suggest automatic changes to your files.
• ✅ No telemetry, no analytics, no tracking.

FAQ

Is this free to use? The extension itself is completely free. Whether using it is free depends on your chosen AI provider — OpenRouter and Gemini both offer generous free tiers.

Do I need to pay you anything? No. There is no subscription, no license key, and no payment to us at all. You pay (or don't pay) your AI provider directly.

Which provider should I pick if I have no key yet? Start with Google Gemini — it has one of the most generous free tiers and takes under a minute to set up.

Why isn't there an "Apply Fix" button? Early versions had one, but auto-replacing multiple lines of code carries real risk of breaking working code — especially in larger files. We'd rather give you a clear, trustworthy explanation than a risky auto-edit.

My AI provider says "rate limit exceeded" — is this extension broken? No — that message comes directly from your provider's free tier limit, not from a bug in the extension. Wait for the limit to reset, or switch providers in Settings.

Known Limitations

• Free-tier AI models may respond more slowly or hit rate limits depending on the provider and time of day
• Very large code blocks are truncated before being sent to the AI to keep requests fast and affordable
• This extension only explains errors — it does not automatically modify your code

License

MIT — free to use, modify, and share. See the LICENSE file included with this extension for details.

Author

Built by Robin Ryan, a full-stack developer from Bangladesh.

If you run into an issue or have a feature request, feel free to leave a review or rating on the Marketplace listing — feedback helps shape future updates.