wcagent for Visual Studio Code

wcagent is a provider-flexible coding agent that works directly inside your VS Code workspace. Describe an outcome in plain language and wcagent can inspect the repository, plan the work, edit files, run commands, validate the result, and return a concise summary with the files it changed.

Use it for focused fixes, large implementation tasks, code explanation, review, test creation, debugging, repository exploration, and browser-based application validation—all without leaving the editor.

Open VS Code. Ask for a change. Follow the work. Review the result.

Highlights

• One agent for real coding work — ask questions or request changes without selecting a separate workflow first.
• Provider-flexible models — choose from the browser-subscription and API-backed providers enabled for your wcagent account.
• Direct workspace operation — search, read, edit, patch, and validate files in the repository already open in VS Code.
• Local terminal and browser tools — run development commands and validate web applications in an isolated local browser session.
• Durable conversations — continue the same project discussion across follow-up prompts and VS Code reloads.
• Long-task context management — compaction preserves a durable task summary and evidence index while keeping long sessions within model limits.
• Coordinated subagents — independent repository work can be delegated and shown inline where it happened in the conversation.
• Explicit access controls — choose Ask for approval, Approve for me, or task-scoped Full access from the composer.
• Visible changes — every completed response keeps its own edited-files summary with additions, deletions, file previews, and review actions.
• Native VS Code integration — editor context actions, diagnostics, workspace context, keyboard shortcuts, and the optional @wcagent chat participant are available alongside the dedicated wcagent view.

Requirements

• Desktop Visual Studio Code 1.109 or newer.
• A wcagent account and internet connection.
• An active trial or paid plan.
• Access to at least one model provider currently offered by wcagent.
• A supported Chromium-based browser when using a browser model connector or isolated browser validation.

Browser connectors are included inside the VSIX. Because the connector is installed without the Chrome Web Store, Chrome Developer mode must remain enabled after its one-time setup.

Virtual workspaces are not supported. In an untrusted workspace, repository inspection remains available, but mutations and commands require workspace trust or an explicitly confirmed Full access grant.

Getting started

1. Open wcagent

After installation, select the wcagent icon in the VS Code activity bar. You can also open the Command Palette and run wcagent: Open wcagent.

2. Sign in

Select Sign in in the wcagent view. Your default browser opens the secure account flow at https://app.wcagent.ai.

You can use email and password or Google sign-in. Google accounts do not require a separate wcagent password or email-verification step. Authentication tokens are returned through the device-authorization flow and stored in VS Code SecretStorage.

New accounts receive a seven-day Pro trial without a credit card. When the trial ends, a paid plan is required to start new agent tasks.

3. Connect an available model provider

The model picker shows the providers and models enabled for your account.

• Browser-backed provider: first run wcagent: Open Browser Connector Folder from the Command Palette. This prepares the connector files but does not install them in a browser. Do not move, rename, or copy the VS Code-managed folder. Open the extensions page in a Chromium-based browser (brave://extensions, chrome://extensions, or edge://extensions), keep Developer mode enabled, choose Load unpacked, and select that exact folder. Then choose Pair Browser Model Connector and paste the copied pairing value into the connector. This folder only needs to be loaded once.
• Server-backed provider: no browser pairing is needed. Available models appear automatically when the provider is enabled by wcagent.

Each browser connector is paired to one provider. Provider credentials and browser session cookies remain in the browser and are not exported to VS Code or the wcagent service.

Provider availability can change over time. The extension discovers the current catalog from wcagent instead of hard-coding a single model company.

The VSIX always carries a connector with the same version as the VS Code extension. When VS Code updates wcagent, it atomically replaces the managed connector folder. An already loaded connector detects that change and reloads itself within about one minute, without another download or folder selection.

4. Ask for work

Enter a prompt in the composer, choose the model and reasoning effort, select an access mode, and send it. For example:

Fix the failing authentication tests, explain the cause, and run the focused
test suite when you are done.

Review the current branch for data-loss risks. Do not edit anything.

Add keyboard navigation to this component and validate it in the browser.

The composer

The composer remains available on the chats home and inside a conversation. If you send a prompt from the chats home, wcagent starts a new conversation.

Attachments

Use the + menu to attach files, folders, editor selections, and images. Attached images appear as removable thumbnails and can be horizontally scrolled when several are present.

Images generated by the browser model are saved as exact raster files under wcagent-generated-images/<turn-id>/ in the open workspace. Their relative paths are included in later messages in the same conversation, allowing local tools to reuse the original image in a page or another project artifact.

Large pasted text is converted into a removable text attachment so the input stays readable. You can restore it to the text field when you need to edit the paste directly.

IDE context

The removable IDE context tag allows wcagent to include bounded context such as open files, the active file, the current selection, diagnostics, repository instructions, and ranked workspace metadata. Remove the tag when you want to send only the prompt and explicit attachments.

The extension redacts common credentials and private-key material before context or tool results leave VS Code. Enable Review context before sending if you want a local approval card before automatic repository context is sent.

Model and reasoning effort

The model menu combines all currently available providers. Reasoning-effort choices are limited to the levels supported by the selected model. Your model, effort, access mode, and IDE-context preferences persist across conversations and VS Code reloads.

Follow-ups while a task is running

You can prepare follow-up instructions without losing the current run. Depending on the selected behavior, a follow-up can wait for the current work or steer the active task. Queued prompts remain visible above the composer.

Local access modes

Access is chosen in the composer and enforced locally by the VS Code extension.

Mode	Behavior
Ask for approval	Requests approval before edits, commands, external-file access, internet access, and other guarded actions.
Approve for me	Automatically performs ordinary workspace edits and recognized validation commands, but still asks at potentially unsafe boundaries.
Full access	After a confirmation warning, grants unrestricted filesystem, terminal, internet, and local browser access for the current task and workspace root.

Full access is task-scoped and expires at a terminal task boundary. It removes wcagent approval prompts for that task, but it does not disable operating-system permissions or confirmation dialogs owned by unrelated applications.

Regardless of access mode, wcagent keeps command cancellation, output bounds, change preconditions, and result redaction active.

What wcagent can do locally

Depending on the task and selected access mode, wcagent can use these categories of local capability:

• List directories and discover files.
• Search source code and repository text.
• Read files with line-aware output.
• Inspect symbols, references, and VS Code diagnostics.
• Inspect Git status and diffs.
• Create and update files with exact-content preconditions.
• Apply focused patches while preserving unrelated work.
• Run terminal commands with bounded output, timeout, and cancellation.
• Fetch public HTTPS pages with local-network protections.
• Start a local application and run isolated browser interactions and assertions.
• Delegate independent read or edit work to bounded subagents.
• Run focused tests, type checks, linters, builds, and other relevant validation.

wcagent does not require a separate editor runtime. File operations and commands are executed by the extension host on the machine where the workspace is open.

Conversations and task progress

The chats home shows recent conversations and their activity state. Open a chat to continue its existing context, or type directly into the home composer to start a new one.

During a task, wcagent presents:

• short progress updates;
• grouped read, search, edit, terminal, and validation activity;
• chronological context-compaction events;
• subagent work where it occurred;
• approval requests when required;
• an elapsed working-time indicator;
• a final developer-facing result; and
• an edited-files summary attached to that specific answer.

Activity accordions start collapsed, including nested sections, so you can expand only the evidence you want to inspect.

Edited-files summaries

Each answer retains its own cumulative summary of files changed by that task. The card shows additions and deletions, exposes more files on demand, and lets you review changes in VS Code. Hover a file to inspect a scrollable preview; the tooltip reveals its absolute local path and, for an edit reference, the relevant line.

Starting a follow-up does not move or replace the preceding answer's summary.

Native VS Code chat

Where the VS Code Chat API is available, wcagent registers the @wcagent participant. It supports these focused commands:

Command	Purpose
@wcagent /fix	Fix a referenced problem and validate it.
@wcagent /explain	Explain referenced code without changing it.
@wcagent /review	Review referenced code for defects and risks.
@wcagent /tests	Add focused tests for referenced code.

The dedicated wcagent view remains the primary surface for durable conversations, provider controls, task activity, and edited-file summaries.

Command Palette commands

Open the Command Palette with Ctrl+Shift+P on Windows/Linux or Cmd+Shift+P on macOS and search for wcagent.

Command	Purpose
wcagent: Open wcagent	Open and focus the wcagent view.
wcagent: New wcagent Chat	Return to a fresh composer without cancelling work already running elsewhere.
wcagent: Add Selection to wcagent Chat	Attach the active editor selection.
wcagent: Add File to wcagent Chat	Attach the active file.
wcagent: Ask wcagent	Prepare a task from the current editor context.
wcagent: Explain Selection or File	Ask for a read-only explanation.
wcagent: Review File	Start a focused review of the active file.
wcagent: Generate Tests	Ask wcagent to add focused tests for the active code.
wcagent: Review wcagent Changes	Open the current task changes in VS Code review surfaces.
wcagent: Connect Account	Start device authorization for a wcagent account.
wcagent: Pair Browser Model Connector	Pair an installed browser connector for an available provider.
wcagent: Open Browser Connector Folder	Open and copy the VSIX-managed connector folder for a Chromium browser's one-time Load unpacked step. Do not move or copy the folder.
wcagent: Unpair Browser Model Connector	Revoke a selected browser connector.
wcagent: Sign Out	Remove the local wcagent account session.

The editor context menu also exposes selection, file, explanation, review, and test actions where applicable.

Settings

Open the wcagent account menu and choose wcagent settings to open the themed settings editor. It includes:

• General — account status, repository-context limits, context review, and keyboard shortcuts.
• Configuration — optional local browser executable selection.
• Personalization — repository instructions that apply to future tasks in the current workspace.
• Usage & billing — current plan, measured token consumption, and an estimated comparison with standard API pricing.
• Browser connectors — provider-specific pairing and connector status.
• Privacy — a summary of local execution and context disclosure.
• Account — opens the wcagent account portal in your default browser.

Composer-specific choices such as model, reasoning effort, access mode, and IDE context remain in the composer rather than being duplicated in settings.

VS Code configuration keys

These settings are also available in VS Code Settings:

Setting	Default	Description
webcodestudio.context.maxFiles	80	Maximum ranked repository paths included in the initial context snapshot. Allowed range: 10–500.
webcodestudio.context.confirmBeforeSend	false	Show a local approval card before ranked editor and workspace metadata is sent.
webcodestudio.browser.executablePath	Auto detect	Optional absolute path to Chrome, Chromium, or Edge for isolated local browser tests.

The wcagent backend address is intentionally not configurable. Production builds connect only to https://app.wcagent.ai.

Security and privacy model

wcagent separates cloud orchestration from local execution:

VS Code workspace
  local context, files, commands, approvals, browser tests
                         │
                         │ authenticated HTTPS
                         ▼
                  app.wcagent.ai
            conversations and agent coordination
                         │
                         ▼
              selected model provider

Important safeguards include:

• Account tokens are stored in VS Code SecretStorage.
• Browser-provider cookies and credentials remain inside the provider browser.
• During beta, the browser connector sends bounded first-party protocol status, shape, timing, routing, and retry diagnostics after local sanitization. It never includes prompt text, response text, attachment contents, cookies, authorization headers, signed URLs, or provider session identifiers.
• Local paths, workspace trust, approvals, and file preconditions are enforced by the extension rather than delegated only to the model.
• Common secrets, bearer tokens, private keys, and credential-like values are redacted from outbound context and tool results.
• Automatic workspace context is bounded and can be reviewed before sending.
• Commands use bounded output and support cancellation and timeouts.
• External-path and symlink checks protect workspace-contained operation outside Full access.
• Isolated browser tests use a temporary profile rather than your everyday browser profile; screenshot pixels remain local to VS Code.

Your prompt, explicit attachments, enabled IDE context, and relevant redacted tool results may be sent to wcagent and the selected model provider to complete the task. Do not attach information you are not authorized to share.

Accounts, trials, and plans

New accounts receive seven days of Pro access without providing a payment card. The extension displays remaining trial time and blocks new tasks after access expires. Monthly and yearly plan status, renewal information, and measured usage are available under Usage & billing.

Usage comparisons estimate what the same recorded input and output token volume would cost at published API rates. They are informational estimates rather than provider invoices; caching, tokenization, tools, regional pricing, and provider price changes can affect actual costs.

Manage account identity, subscription details, and web authentication at app.wcagent.ai.

Troubleshooting

The send button is unavailable

Confirm that you are signed in, your trial or plan is active, a model is selected, and any required browser connector is paired and ready. The composer shows the missing requirement when possible.

A browser provider is offline or a task is paused

Open wcagent settings → Browser connectors, confirm the connector is paired, and sign in to the provider in its browser profile. Confirm the Chromium browser's Developer mode remains enabled. If the browser has not picked up a VSIX update after one minute, open its extensions page and click the connector's reload button. Pair it again only when requested, then resume the paused task.

File edits or commands are blocked by workspace trust

Trust the workspace through VS Code, or deliberately enable Full access for that task after reviewing its warning. Read-only repository inspection can continue without workspace trust.

Browser validation cannot find Chrome or Chromium

Open wcagent settings → Configuration and set Browser executable to the absolute path of Chrome, Chromium, or Edge. Leave it empty to use auto-detection.

The extension still shows an older build

Run Developer: Reload Window after installing or updating the extension so the extension host loads the new version.

More diagnostic information is needed

Open View → Output and select wcagent from the output-channel menu. Avoid posting logs publicly until you have checked them for project-sensitive data.

Frequently asked questions

Does wcagent send my whole repository automatically?

No. Initial context is ranked and bounded. Explicit attachments and the removable IDE-context option control additional context. You can also require a local review before automatic repository metadata is sent.

Is wcagent tied to one model provider?

No. The extension uses a provider-aware catalog supplied by wcagent. Browser subscriptions and server-backed model APIs can appear in the same model picker when enabled.

Does Full access stay enabled forever?

No. A Full access grant is scoped to the active task and workspace root and expires when the task reaches a terminal boundary.

Can I keep using the same conversation for follow-up work?

Yes. Follow-ups continue the durable conversation context. Older detail may be compacted during very long sessions, but wcagent preserves the task summary and evidence needed for continuation.

Can wcagent work in multiple conversations at once?

Yes. Starting or opening another chat does not automatically cancel a task that is already running. The chats home shows which conversations are active.

Does wcagent work on Windows, macOS, and Linux?

The extension is designed for desktop VS Code across all three platforms. Individual local tools and sandboxing behavior may depend on operating-system capabilities and the software installed on that machine.

Support and links

• Website: wcagent.ai
• Account: app.wcagent.ai
• Support: support@wcagent.ai
• License: see the proprietary LICENSE included with the extension.

wcagent is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Microsoft, OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, or other model providers. Visual Studio Code and all model and provider names are trademarks of their respective owners.