CodeSail Documentation

Everything you need to get started with CodeSail AI Code Assistant — an AI-powered VS Code extension powered by Claude.

Installation

Requirements

• VS Code version 1.80 or higher
• A GitHub account (for login)
• A CodeSail account — sign up free

Install from VS Code Marketplace

The easiest way to install CodeSail:

• Open VS Code
• Press Cmd+Shift+X to open the Extensions panel
• Search for CodeSail
• Click Install
• Reload VS Code when prompted

Install from Command Line

code --install-extension sailendrags-a11y.codesail

Login with GitHub

CodeSail uses GitHub OAuth for authentication — no passwords, no API keys to manage.

• Press Cmd+Shift+P to open the Command Palette
• Type AI: Login with GitHub and press Enter
• Your browser will open GitHub's authorization page
• Click Authorize CodeSail
• Copy the access token from the page that opens
• Paste it into the VS Code input box and press Enter
• You'll see: "✅ Logged in successfully!"

Your First Chat

• Open any code file in VS Code
• Press Cmd+Shift+P → type AI: Open Chat Assistant
• The chat panel opens on the right
• Type any question and press Enter or click Send
• Claude will respond with context from your open file!

Chat Panel

The chat panel is your main interface for talking to Claude about your code.

Features

• Conversation history — Claude remembers your entire session. Ask follow-up questions naturally.
• Markdown rendering — Responses render with proper formatting, code highlighting, and tables.
• Copy button — Every code block has a one-click Copy button.
• Clear chat — Click the 🗑️ button to start a fresh conversation.
• Persistent history — Chat history survives switching between files.

Keyboard Shortcuts

• Enter — Send message
• Shift+Enter — New line (don't send)

Inline Completions

As you type code, CodeSail shows ghost text suggestions powered by Claude. These appear automatically after you pause typing.

How it works

• Start typing code in any file
• Pause for ~600ms
• Gray ghost text appears suggesting what comes next
• Press Tab to accept the suggestion
• Keep typing to dismiss and ignore it

Slash Commands

Type a slash command in the chat panel to trigger AI actions on your current file or selected code.

Command	What it does	Plan
/explain	Explains your code in plain language — what it does, how it works, key patterns	Free
/fix	Finds and fixes bugs. Returns the complete corrected file + what was changed	Free
/improve	Suggests improvements for readability, performance, and best practices	Free
/test	Writes unit tests for your code — covers main cases, edge cases, and errors	Pro
/docs	Writes documentation and comments — function descriptions, parameter explanations	Pro

Tips for slash commands

• Highlight specific code before typing a command to target just that selection
• Add extra instructions: /fix make sure to add type hints
• Use /explain when reviewing someone else's code
• Use /test before submitting a PR

Code Context

CodeSail automatically sends context from your editor with every message so Claude always knows what you're working on.

What's included

• File name and language — always included
• Selected text — if you've highlighted code, only that is sent
• Full file contents — if no selection and file is under 10,000 characters
• First 5,000 characters — for larger files

All VS Code Commands

Access all CodeSail commands via Cmd+Shift+P:

Command	Description
AI: Open Chat Assistant	Opens the chat panel
AI: Login with GitHub	Authenticates with your GitHub account
AI: Logout	Signs you out and clears your session
AI: Check Login Status	Shows your current login status and plan
Set Anthropic API Key	Alternative: use your own Anthropic key directly

Subscription

Check your plan

Press Cmd+Shift+P → AI: Check Login Status — this shows your current plan (free or pro).

Upgrade to Pro

Visit codesail.in/pricing to upgrade your plan.

Cancel subscription

Press Cmd+Shift+P → AI: Cancel Subscription — or email us at hello@codesail.in.

FAQ

Do I need my own Anthropic API key?

No — CodeSail handles all API calls. Just login with GitHub and start using it.

Is my code stored on your servers?

No — we only process your code to generate responses. We don't store your code.

What AI model does CodeSail use?

Claude Sonnet 4.6 by Anthropic — one of the best models for code understanding.

The extension stopped working — what do I do?

• Check Cmd+Shift+P → AI: Check Login Status
• If session expired, login again with AI: Login with GitHub
• Check View → Output → "AI Code Assistant" for error logs
• Email hello@codesail.in with the log output

How do I report a bug?

Email hello@codesail.in and we'll get back to you quickly.