Skip to content

README.md

Latest commit

 

History

History
205 lines (142 loc) · 7.39 KB

README.md

File metadata and controls

205 lines (142 loc) · 7.39 KB

Logo

Get from Visual Studio Code Marketplace Get from Open VSX Registry GPL-3.0 license

Code Web Chat (CWC) is a free and open-source, privacy-first AI coding toolkit for VS Code. It helps construct zero-overhead, XML-formatted prompts with files and instructions for:

  • chatbots—ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, etc.
  • APIs—remote and local model providers

Implement features and fix bugs without a single tool call, in mere seconds!


Select context files, type instructions...


Copy the response when ready...


Apply from clipboard...

Introduction

In the world of AI coding, agents like Claude Code or Codex rely on "Function Calling" (where the AI asks "the harness" to read a file, waits for the tool to respond, then reads another). CWC flips this by letting you provide context files upfront in a single, well-structured XML message.

Prompt types:

Edit context 
<files>[the selected files]</files>
<system>[edit format instructions]</system>
[user-typed prompt]
Ask about context 
<files>[the selected files]</files>
[user-typed prompt]
Code at cursor 
<files>
[the selected files]
<file path="[active file]">
[code before cursor]<missing_text>[user-typed prompt]</missing_text>[code after cursor]
</file>
</files>
[code at cursor instructions]
Find relevant files 
<files>[the selected files]</files>
<system>[output format]</system>
[find relevant files instructions]
[user-typed prompt]
No context 
[user-typed prompt]

Tip

Got lost in the codebase? Use "Find relevant files" prompt type and search with natural language!

Workflow based on a single-turn exchanges facilitates persistent utilization of prompt caching.

Prompt caching

With its static context approach, CWC optimizes prompt caching via smart file ordering based on update and selection recency. Make your chatbot quotas last longer or lower token costs by up to 90% when calling APIs. Minimize latency of self-hosted models.

Enabling autofill

Install the browser extension and never copy and paste again.

Supported chatbots:

  • AI Studio
  • Arena
  • ChatGPT
  • Claude
  • Copilot
  • DeepSeek
  • Doubao
  • Gemini
  • GitHub Copilot
  • Grok
  • HuggingChat
  • Kimi
  • Mistral
  • Open WebUI
  • OpenRouter
  • Qwen
  • Together
  • Yuanbao
  • Z AI

Tip

Elevate your workflow with smart workspaces (called projects, gems, or spaces).

Important

The Apply response button placed under responses is not a means of automatic output extraction, it's an alias for the original copy to clipboard button. Review the content script to learn about implementation details.

Note

Use forwarding of port 55155 when using remote machine via SSH.

Calling APIs

CWC supports your software development efforts without leaving the editor. Bring Your Own Key (BYOK) for a model provider of choice. Self-host with Ollama or LM Studio.

Built-in API tools:

  • Intelligent Update
  • Edit Context
  • Code at Cursor
  • Find Relevant Files
  • Commit Messages
  • Voice Input

Enterprise security

Zero function calling. This design choice eliminates the risk of dangerous command executions and prompt injections.

Operates exclusively on your machine. When using the browser extension for prompt autofill, data is moved via editor-browser communication channel run on local Websockets. For API tools, model providers are called directly.

Zero telemetry. No usage data is collected and sent to third-party servers.

Commands

Code at Cursor

  • Code Web Chat: Code at Cursor - Get an inline snippet while using the current context.
  • Code Web Chat: Code at Cursor using... - Inline snippet with configuration selection.
  • Code Web Chat: Code at Cursor with Instructions - Inline snippet with instructions.
  • Code Web Chat: Code at Cursor with Instructions using... - Inline snippet with instructions and configuration selection.

Checkpoints

  • Code Web Chat: Checkpoints - Restore the overall workspace state to the saved checkpoint.
  • Code Web Chat: Create New Checkpoint - Save the current state of the workspace.

Context

  • Code Web Chat: Apply Context - Apply a saved context or save the current file selection.
  • Code Web Chat: Add File to Context - Search and add file (or parent folder via file action) to the context.
  • Code Web Chat: Remove File from Context - Search and remove file (or parent folder via file action) from the context.
  • Code Web Chat: Search Files for Context - Search and add files containing specific keywords to the context.
  • Code Web Chat: Copy Context - Copy XML-formatted checked files from the Workspace view to the clipboard.
  • Code Web Chat: Copy Context of Open Editors - Copy XML-formatted checked files from the Open Editors view to the clipboard.

Commit messages

  • Code Web Chat: Commit Changes - Generate commit message and commit.

Contributing

All contributions are welcome. Feel free to submit pull requests, feature requests and bug reports.

Copyright © 2026 Robert Piosik
E-mail: robertpiosik@gmail.com
Telegram: robertpiosik