Agent Debate for VS Code

A VS Code extension that connects multiple ACP-compatible coding agents and runs structured, multi-round discussions on any topic you provide.

Give it a question, and your agents will independently propose solutions, cross-review each other's ideas, then synthesize a final recommendation — all inside a chat-style panel.

Features

Multi-agent discussions — connect any number of ACP-compatible agents (Codex, Claude Code, OpenCode, etc.)
Structured rounds — independent proposals, configurable cross-review rounds (1–8), and a final synthesis
Live streaming — watch each agent's output in real time with Markdown rendering
Permission handling — ACP permission requests are surfaced as in-panel dialogs so you stay in control
Session configuration — set agent mode, model, and config options per agent from the settings panel
Discussion history — past debates are saved and can be reviewed anytime
Customizable prompts — edit the prompt templates for each round to fit your workflow
i18n — English and Simplified Chinese UI

Prerequisites

You need at least one ACP-compatible agent CLI installed and authenticated on your machine.

Verified agents

Agent	Command	Args	Install	Note
Codex	`codex-acp`		`npm i -g @zed-industries/codex-acp`	Install optional platform dependency, e.g. Win32 Platform `npm i -g @zed-industries/codex-acp-win32-x64`
Claude Code	`claude-agent-acp`		`npm i -g @agentclientprotocol/claude-agent-acp`
OpenCode	`opencode`	`acp`	See opencode.ai	Make sure run `opencode auth login` first

Any CLI that implements the Agent Client Protocol will work.

Authentication

Each agent CLI must be authenticated before use:

Codex — set OPENAI_API_KEY or complete its local login flow
Claude Code — complete its local login flow
OpenCode — configure API keys per its CLI documentation

Getting Started

Install the extension from the VS Code Marketplace (or build from source).
Open the Agent Debate panel from the Activity Bar (left sidebar).
Click the gear icon to open Settings and verify your agents are connected.
Type a topic in the input box and press Enter (or click Send).
Watch the agents discuss, then read the final synthesis.

How It Works

Each discussion follows three phases:

Independent Proposals — every agent produces its own solution without seeing others' work.
Cross-Review (configurable, default 2 rounds) — agents review all previous outputs and revise their recommendations.
Final Synthesis — one agent (the moderator) merges all discussion into a single actionable recommendation.

Configuration

Open Settings (Ctrl+,) and search for agentDebate, or use the gear icon in the panel.

`agentDebate.agents`

Define the agents that participate in discussions:

{
  "agentDebate.agents": [
    {
      "id": "codex",
      "label": "Codex",
      "enabled": true,
      "command": "codex-acp",
      "args": [],
      "env": {}
    },
    {
      "id": "claude",
      "label": "Claude Code",
      "enabled": true,
      "command": "claude-agent-acp",
      "args": [],
      "env": {}
    },
    {
      "id": "opencode",
      "label": "OpenCode",
      "enabled": true,
      "command": "opencode",
      "args": ["acp"],
      "env": {}
    }
  ]
}

Each agent entry supports:

Field	Description
`id`	Stable identifier for the agent
`label`	Display name shown in the panel
`enabled`	Whether this agent participates by default
`command`	Executable to launch (must be in PATH or an absolute path)
`args`	Arguments passed to the executable
`env`	Extra environment variables for the agent process

Other settings

Setting	Default	Description
`agentDebate.defaultRounds`	`2`	Number of cross-review rounds (1–8)
`agentDebate.defaultModerator`	`""` (auto)	Agent ID for synthesis; empty = auto-select
`agentDebate.promptStyle`	`fast-mvp`	Prompt framing style (`fast-mvp`, `architecture`, `code-review`)

Limitations

Each discussion starts a fresh session; previous sessions are not reused.
Agents are granted read-only file access (fs/read_text_file); file writing and terminal execution are not exposed.
Markdown rendering is lightweight — tables, footnotes, and other complex syntax are not supported.

Source Code

License

MIT

Agent Debate

sanchaii