CodeCritter: Your AI Code Review Companion
CodeCritter is a VS Code extension that acts as an AI-powered code reviewer, helping you improve your code's quality, style, and security. With multiple reviewer personas, you can get tailored feedback, from a strict architectural analysis to supportive mentorship.
🎬 Demo

✨ Features
- 🤖 AI-Powered Code Review: Get comprehensive code analysis with summary, critique, and suggestions
- 👥 Multiple Reviewer Personas: Choose from 5 distinct personalities:
- Strict Tech Lead - Architectural focus and best practices
- Supportive Mentor - Encouraging feedback with learning opportunities
- Sarcastic Reviewer - Witty and direct feedback
- Code Poet - Artistic and elegant code suggestions
- Paranoid Security Engineer - Security-focused analysis
- 🔒 Security Analysis: Production risk assessment with safety indicators
- 📝 Docstring Generation: Auto-generate professional documentation
- 📋 Copy to Clipboard: Export reviews as Markdown for PRs
- 🔑 Secure API Key Storage: Your Gemini API key is stored locally in VS Code settings
🚀 Quick Start
- Install the extension from the VS Code Marketplace
- Get a Gemini API key from Google AI Studio
- Open Command Palette (
Ctrl+Shift+P
or Cmd+Shift+P
)
- Run
CodeCritter: Start Review
- Add your API key in the Settings section
- Paste your code and get instant feedback!
🛠️ How It Works
CodeCritter is now a standalone extension that communicates directly with Google's Gemini AI API. No separate backend server needed!
The Extension Architecture
- Direct API Integration: The extension communicates directly with Gemini AI
- Circuit Breaker Pattern: Handles API failures gracefully with automatic recovery
- Retry Logic: Implements exponential backoff for reliable service
- Secure Storage: API keys are stored securely in VS Code's configuration
Key Components
- Webview Interface: Modern React + Tailwind CSS UI
- AI Service: Direct integration with Google Gemini 1.5 Flash
- Prompt Engineering: Specialized prompts for each reviewer persona
- Error Handling: Robust error handling and user feedback
🔧 Installation & Setup
Method 1: VS Code Marketplace (Recommended)
- Open VS Code
- Go to Extensions (
Ctrl+Shift+X
)
- Search for "COdedCritter"
- Click "Install"
Method 2: Manual Installation
- Download the
.vsix
file from releases
- Open VS Code
- Run
Extensions: Install from VSIX...
from Command Palette
- Select the downloaded file
Getting Your API Key
- Visit Google AI Studio
- Sign in with your Google account
- Create a new API key
- Copy the key and paste it in CodeCritter's settings
📖 Usage Guide
Basic Review Process
- Open COdeCritter: Use Command Palette →
CodeCritter: Start Review
- Add API Key: Go to Settings section and save your Gemini API key
- Paste Code: Add your code snippet in the text area
- Select Persona: Choose your preferred reviewer style
- Get Review: Click "Get Review" for comprehensive analysis
- Copy Results: Use "Copy Review as Markdown" for documentation
Reviewer Personas Explained
🏗️ Strict Tech Lead
- Focus on architecture and scalability
- Emphasizes best practices and patterns
- Identifies potential technical debt
🤝 Supportive Mentor
- Encouraging and educational approach
- Explains the "why" behind suggestions
- Great for learning and improvement
😏 Sarcastic Reviewer
- Witty and direct feedback
- Points out obvious issues with humor
- Keeps reviews entertaining
🎨 Code Poet
- Focuses on code elegance and readability
- Artistic approach to code structure
- Emphasizes beautiful, clean code
🔒 Paranoid Security Engineer
- Security-first analysis
- Identifies vulnerabilities and risks
- Focuses on production safety
Production Risk Assessment
Each review includes a "Production Risk Watch" section that:
- ✅ Safe: No production concerns
- ⚠️ Risk: Potential production issues identified
- Lists specific risks with safety indicators
🔒 Privacy & Security
- Local Storage: API keys are stored locally in VS Code settings
- No Data Collection: GitWit doesn't collect or store your code
- Direct API Calls: Your code is sent directly to Google's Gemini API
- Secure Transport: All API calls use HTTPS encryption
🛠️ Development
Building from Source
git clone https://github.com/shrutipandey15/gitwit.git
cd gitwit
npm install
npm run compile
Testing the Extension
npm run test
Packaging
npm install -g vsce
vsce package
🤝 Contributing
I welcome contributions! Please see my Contributing Guide for details.
- Fork the repository
- Create your feature branch (
git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature
)
- Commit your changes (
git commit -m 'Add some amazing feature'
)
- Push to the branch (
git push origin feature/amazing-feature
)
- Open a Pull Request
📄 License
This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.
🆘 Support
🎯 Roadmap
- [ ] Support for more AI providers (OpenAI, Claude)
- [ ] Custom prompt templates
- [ ] Integration with GitHub Pull Requests
- [ ] Code quality metrics
- [ ] Team collaboration features
📊 Stats
- Languages Supported: All programming languages
- AI Model: Google Gemini 1.5 Flash
- VS Code Version: 1.85.0+
- License: MIT
Made with ❤️ by Shruti Pandey
CodeCritter - Making code reviews intelligent, one line at a time.