Visual Studio Code

MyDeskBot for VS Code brings powerful AI assistance to your VS Code editor.

Installation

From VS Code Marketplace

Open VS Code
Go to Extensions view (Ctrl+Shift+X / Cmd+Shift+X)
Search for "MyDeskBot"
Click Install

From Command Line

bash

code --install-extension mydeskbot.mydeskbot-vscode

Configuration

Basic Setup

Open settings (Ctrl+, / Cmd+,) and configure:

json

{
  "mydeskbot.apiKey": "sk-...",
  "mydeskbot.model": "gpt-4o",
  "mydeskbot.temperature": 1.0,
  "mydeskbot.maxTokens": 4096
}

Environment Variables

Alternatively, use environment variables:

bash

# In your shell profile (.bashrc, .zshrc, etc.)
export OPENAI_API_KEY="sk-..."
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="sk-ant-..."

Workspace Settings

Configure per-project in .vscode/settings.json:

json

{
  "mydeskbot.model": "gpt-4o",
  "mydeskbot.temperature": 0.7,
  "mydeskbot.contextFiles": 5
}

Features

1. Inline Completions

Get code suggestions as you type:

javascript

// Start typing
function calculateA

// MyDeskBot suggests
function calculateAverage(numbers) {
  return numbers.reduce((sum, num) => sum + num, 0) / numbers.length;
}

Settings:

mydeskbot.inlineCompletions.enabled: Enable/disable inline completions
mydeskbot.inlineCompletions.triggerMode: Manual or Automatic

2. Inline Chat

Ask questions without leaving the editor:

Press Ctrl+Shift+M (or Cmd+Shift+M)
Type your question
Get inline responses

Example:

javascript

// MyDeskBot: How do I handle errors in async functions?
try {
  const data = await fetchData();
  return data;
} catch (error) {
  console.error("Error:", error);
  throw error; // Re-throw for caller to handle
}

3. Code Actions

Right-click on selected code for AI actions:

Explain Code: Get detailed explanation
Refactor: Improve code quality
Add Comments: Generate documentation
Find Bugs: Identify issues
Generate Tests: Create unit tests
Optimize: Improve performance

4. Side Panel Chat

Open the dedicated chat panel:

Click the MyDeskBot icon in the sidebar
Or press Ctrl+Shift+P → "MyDeskBot: Open Chat"
Ask questions in the chat interface

5. Multi-File Context

MyDeskBot understands your entire workspace:

Current file
Open files
Project structure
Dependencies
Configuration files

Keyboard Shortcuts

Action	Windows/Linux	macOS
Open Chat Panel	`Ctrl+Shift+P` → "Open Chat"	`Cmd+Shift+P` → "Open Chat"
Inline Chat	`Ctrl+Shift+M`	`Cmd+Shift+M`
Explain Code	`Ctrl+Shift+E`	`Cmd+Shift+E`
Refactor	`Ctrl+Shift+R`	`Cmd+Shift+R`
Generate Tests	`Ctrl+Shift+T`	`Cmd+Shift+T`
Complete Code	`Tab`	`Tab`
Trigger Suggestion	`Ctrl+Space`	`Ctrl+Space`
Quick Fix	`Ctrl+.`	`Cmd+.`

Commands

All commands available via Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P / Cmd+Shift+P):

MyDeskBot: Open Chat: Open the side panel chat
MyDeskBot: Explain Code: Explain selected code
MyDeskBot: Refactor Code: Refactor selected code
MyDeskBot: Add Comments: Generate comments for selection
MyDeskBot: Generate Tests: Generate tests for selection
MyDeskBot: Find Bugs: Find bugs in selection
MyDeskBot: Optimize Code: Optimize selected code
MyDeskBot: Toggle Inline Completions: Enable/disable inline completions

Workflows

1. Code Review

Select code to review
Press Ctrl+Shift+E (Explain Code)
MyDeskBot provides:
- Code quality assessment
- Potential bugs
- Security issues
- Performance suggestions

2. Refactoring

Select code to refactor
Press Ctrl+Shift+R (Refactor)
Choose refactoring type:
- Simplify logic
- Improve readability
- Extract functions
- Optimize performance

3. Documentation

Select function or class
Right-click → "Add Comments"
MyDeskBot generates:
- JSDoc/TSDoc comments
- Parameter descriptions
- Return value docs
- Usage examples

4. Test Generation

Select a function or class
Press Ctrl+Shift+T (Generate Tests)
MyDeskBot creates:
- Test file structure
- Test cases
- Mocks and stubs
- Assertions

5. Debugging

Select problematic code
Right-click → "Find Bugs"
MyDeskBot analyzes:
- Potential causes
- Edge cases
- Suggested fixes

Settings Reference

Model Configuration

json

{
  "mydeskbot.apiKey": "sk-...",
  "mydeskbot.model": "gpt-4o",
  "mydeskbot.temperature": 1.0,
  "mydeskbot.maxTokens": 4096,
  "mydeskbot.streamResponses": true
}

Completion Settings

json

{
  "mydeskbot.inlineCompletions.enabled": true,
  "mydeskbot.inlineCompletions.triggerMode": "automatic",
  "mydeskbot.suggestAfterTypeDelay": 200
}

Context Settings

json

{
  "mydeskbot.contextFiles": 5,
  "mydeskbot.includeReadme": true,
  "mydeskbot.includePackageJson": true,
  "mydeskbot.includeGitignore": true
}

UI Settings

json

{
  "mydeskbot.showInlineIndicator": true,
  "mydeskbot.chatFontSize": 14,
  "mydeskbot.lineHeight": 1.5,
  "mydeskbot.theme": "dark"
}

Integration with VS Code Features

Git Integration

Commit Messages:

bash

# Open Command Palette → "MyDeskBot: Generate Commit Message"
# MyDeskBot analyzes changes and generates a descriptive message

Pull Request Reviews:

Ask MyDeskBot to review PR changes
Get suggestions for improvements
Generate review comments

Debugging

Error Analysis:

When debugging, copy error message
Ask MyDeskBot in chat
Get explanations and solutions

Breakpoint Suggestions:

MyDeskBot suggests where to set breakpoints
Helps identify suspicious code areas

Testing

Test Runner Integration:

Generate tests for selected code
Run tests and ask MyDeskBot to analyze failures
Fix failing tests with AI assistance

Snippets

MyDeskBot can help you create custom snippets:

javascript

// Ask: "Create a React component snippet for a user profile"
// MyDeskBot generates:
{
  "User Profile": {
    "prefix": "user-profile",
    "body": [
      "import React from 'react';",
      "",
      "const UserProfile = ({ user }) => {",
      "  return (",
      "    <div className=\"user-profile\">",
      "      <img src={user.avatar} alt={user.name} />",
      "      <h2>{user.name}</h2>",
      "      <p>{user.email}</p>",
      "    </div>",
      "  );",
      "};",
      "",
      "export default UserProfile;"
    ],
    "description": "React user profile component"
  }
}

Workspaces and Profiles

Multiple Workspaces

Different settings for different workspaces:

json

// workspace-1/.vscode/settings.json
{
  "mydeskbot.model": "gpt-4o",
  "mydeskbot.temperature": 0.7
}

// workspace-2/.vscode/settings.json
{
  "mydeskbot.model": "gpt-3.5-turbo",
  "mydeskbot.temperature": 1.0
}

Team Profiles

Share settings with your team:

json

// .vscode/settings.json
{
  "mydeskbot.apiKey": "${env:OPENAI_API_KEY}",
  "mydeskbot.model": "gpt-4o",
  "mydeskbot.teamShared": true
}

Troubleshooting

Extension Not Loading

Check VS Code version (requires 1.75+)
Reload VS Code (Ctrl+Shift+P → "Reload Window")
Check extension logs:
- Open Command Palette
- "Developer: Show Extension Logs"
- Look for MyDeskBot errors

API Key Issues

Verify API key is correct
Check account has credits
Try different API provider
Check network connectivity

No Suggestions

Check if inline completions are enabled
Verify model is configured
Try manual trigger (Ctrl+Space)
Check file is not too large

Slow Performance

Reduce context file count
Disable streaming
Increase timeout
Close unused files

Tips and Tricks

1. Context Awareness

Add file references in comments:

javascript

// See also: utils/validation.js
function validateEmail(email) {
  // MyDeskBot can reference the validation file
}

Refine responses with follow-up:

javascript

// User: Generate a REST API for users
// [AI generates basic API]

// User: Add authentication
// [AI adds auth middleware]

// User: Add rate limiting
// [AI adds rate limiting]

3. Code Templates

Create reusable code templates with MyDeskBot:

Create a TypeScript React component with:
- Props interface
- useState hooks
- useEffect for data fetching
- Loading state
- Error handling

4. Learning Mode

Ask MyDeskBot to explain concepts:

javascript

// Ask: "Explain how React hooks work"
// Get detailed explanation with examples

Enterprise Features

For teams and organizations:

Shared Configuration

json

{
  "mydeskbot.teamSettings": {
    "model": "gpt-4o",
    "temperature": 0.7,
    "maxTokens": 4096
  }
}

Usage Analytics

Track AI usage across your team.

Custom Endpoints

json

{
  "mydeskbot.apiEndpoint": "https://api.yourcompany.com/v1"
}

Privacy & Security

Code Privacy: Code is sent only for processing
No Storage: We don't store your code
Encrypted: All transmissions use HTTPS
Local Option: Use local models for complete privacy

Visual Studio Code ​

Installation ​

From VS Code Marketplace ​

From Command Line ​

Configuration ​

Basic Setup ​

Environment Variables ​

Workspace Settings ​

Features ​

1. Inline Completions ​

2. Inline Chat ​

3. Code Actions ​

4. Side Panel Chat ​

5. Multi-File Context ​

Keyboard Shortcuts ​

Commands ​

Workflows ​

1. Code Review ​

2. Refactoring ​

3. Documentation ​

4. Test Generation ​

5. Debugging ​

Settings Reference ​

Model Configuration ​

Completion Settings ​

Context Settings ​

UI Settings ​

Integration with VS Code Features ​

Git Integration ​

Debugging ​

Testing ​

Snippets ​

Workspaces and Profiles ​

Multiple Workspaces ​

Team Profiles ​

Troubleshooting ​

Extension Not Loading ​

API Key Issues ​

No Suggestions ​

Slow Performance ​

Tips and Tricks ​

1. Context Awareness ​

2. Iterative Refinement ​

3. Code Templates ​

4. Learning Mode ​

Enterprise Features ​

Shared Configuration ​

Usage Analytics ​

Custom Endpoints ​

Privacy & Security ​

See Also ​

Visual Studio Code

Installation

From VS Code Marketplace

From Command Line

Configuration

Basic Setup

Environment Variables

Workspace Settings

Features

1. Inline Completions

2. Inline Chat

3. Code Actions

4. Side Panel Chat

5. Multi-File Context

Keyboard Shortcuts

Commands

Workflows

1. Code Review

2. Refactoring

3. Documentation

4. Test Generation

5. Debugging

Settings Reference

Model Configuration

Completion Settings

Context Settings

UI Settings

Integration with VS Code Features

Git Integration

Debugging

Testing

Snippets

Workspaces and Profiles

Multiple Workspaces

Team Profiles

Troubleshooting

Extension Not Loading

API Key Issues

No Suggestions

Slow Performance

Tips and Tricks

1. Context Awareness

2. Iterative Refinement

3. Code Templates

4. Learning Mode

Enterprise Features

Shared Configuration

Usage Analytics

Custom Endpoints

Privacy & Security

See Also