VS Code Extension (RayuCode)#

RayuCode is the Rayu AI coding agent inside Visual Studio Code. It is not a separate product with fewer features — it is the second face of the same tool you use in the terminal.

One engine, two surfaces#

The Rayu CLI and the RayuCode extension run the same Rayu agent. When you open a RayuCode session, the extension runs that agent in the background for your editor, with the same capabilities as the terminal.

That means everything you can do in the terminal works in the editor too:

every built-in tool (file read/write/edit, bash, web search, LSP, …)
every slash command (/model, /connect, /web-bridge, billing commands, …)
every provider — Rayu-hosted models or your own keys
skills and agent configurations

The extension is the UI: the chat lives in your editor tabs, and a sidebar panel manages sessions and providers. Anything the agent does, both surfaces get it.

Install#

Requirements: a current version of VS Code and a workspace folder you have trusted (see Limitations).

The extension is published on the VS Code Marketplace as RayuCode.rayucode. Any of these works:

Route	How
One-click	rayucode.com/download → "Install" on the VS Code Extension card. Uses the `vscode:extension/RayuCode.rayucode` protocol link, which opens your local VS Code with the install prompt ready.
Marketplace search	Open the Extensions view (`Ctrl+Shift+X` / `Cmd+Shift+X`), search RayuCode, publisher `RayuCode`.
Command line	`code --install-extension RayuCode.rayucode`

After install, a green RayuCode icon appears in the Activity Bar (the vertical icon strip on the side).

First session#

Click the RayuCode icon in the Activity Bar.
Sign in (see below) — or pick a model first and use a provider key.
Click New Session (the + in the panel header, or the RayuCode: New Session command).
Type your task and press Enter. The conversation opens as an editor tab, next to your code files.

Signing in#

Two things worth knowing up front:

The extension uses the same Rayu account and provider setup as the CLI. Signing in from the editor gives you the same models and credentials, and a key connected in one surface is available in the other.
Running a turn requires either a signed-in Rayu account or a connected provider key.

Path 1 — Rayu account (hosted models)#

Use the panel's sign-in prompt or the RayuCode: Sign In command. Your browser opens the Rayu sign-in page; approve there and the editor picks up the credential automatically. If the browser does not open, the extension offers a Copy sign-in link button so you can paste the URL manually. The wait is cancelable and gives up with a clear message after a few minutes.

With a Rayu account you get hosted models billed in credits — see Subscription plans. Use RayuCode: Sign Out (or the panel) to forget the credential.

Path 2 — bring your own API key#

Run /connect in the session composer (or open Provider setup in the sidebar) and follow the picker — the same flow as the CLI. Choose a provider, paste your key, and the session runs against that provider directly. Keys are stored in your provider setup, not in the chat history.

Remote-SSH note#

Account sign-in needs a browser on your machine to complete a callback on the session's machine. Over Remote-SSH that round-trip can fail — the login page may never complete, and you will see a sign-in timeout. The reliable path on remote workspaces is API-key setup with /connect in the remote terminal. See Troubleshooting for details.

Panel tour#

The extension is organized around two ideas: the conversation goes in an editor tab, and the sidebar is the management hub — it never shows a second copy of the chat.

The sidebar panel, "Sessions", is the control hub:

Session list — start, switch between, and retire conversations. Each one opens as its own editor tab; several can run side by side, and switching tabs never interrupts a turn in flight.
Background tasks — long-running tool work and delegated agents with their progress.
Provider setup — connect providers and API keys (/connect flow).
Sign-in state — who you are signed in as, with sign-in / sign-out.

Sessions as editor tabs#

Each conversation is a normal editor tab: open files in one pane, the agent in another, arrange them however you like. The composer supports:

Slash-command palette — type / to get the command list, the same commands the CLI has.
@ file mentions — type @ to reference workspace files; the engine expands them into context, including directories.

Permission modes#

A pill in the composer header shows the current mode. Press Shift+Tab to cycle through them (least to most permissive, then back to the start):

Mode	What it allows
Ask (default)	Asks before running any tool that changes something.
Auto-edit	Applies file edits without asking; still asks before running commands.
Plan	Read and analyse only — no edits, no commands. The agent proposes a plan for your approval.
Full Manage	Runs all non-interactive tools without asking.

Review cards (keep / undo)#

When the agent changes files, a review card appears in the transcript listing the changed files. Open any file to see a side-by-side diff — the "before" side is the exact snapshot Rayu recorded before editing (not git HEAD), so your own uncommitted changes never show up as if Rayu made them.

Keep / Undo work per file or in bulk. They run the agent's own /keep and /undo commands, including the protection that refuses to undo a file you have since edited by hand.
Each session tab keeps its own review state, so two conversations editing the same file diff independently.

Adding context from anywhere in the editor#

Action	Where
Add to Rayu Context	Right-click a file or folder in the Explorer, a selection in an editor, or an editor tab's title menu. Inserts an `@`-mention into the composer.
Add Terminal Selection to Prompt	Right-click a selection in the integrated terminal.
Drag and drop	Drop a file onto the session panel to attach it.

The live context-window gauge in the panel header shows how full the conversation is, so you know when to compact or start a new session.

Remote features from the extension#

Web Bridge — run /web-bridge in a session (or use the pairing entry in the panel) to let Rayu Studio attach to the live session from a browser tab: streamed deltas, tool approvals, plan approvals, prompts from your phone or another machine.

Extension commands#

Beyond in-session slash commands, the extension contributes these VS Code commands (Command Palette, prefix RayuCode:):

Command	Does
`New Session`	Start another conversation (also the `+` in the panel header).
`Sign In` / `Sign Out`	Manage the Rayu account credential for the editor.
`Add to Rayu Context`	Explorer / editor / tab context menu: insert an `@`-mention.
`Add Terminal Selection to Prompt`	Terminal context menu: copy the selection into the composer.
`Send Feedback`	Report an issue or share feedback.

Limitations#

Workspace trust is required. The agent executes commands, edits files, and reads the workspace's .env and plugins, so it is disabled in Restricted Mode. If RayuCode looks dead in a folder, VS Code is asking you to trust the workspace first — click "Trust" on the prompt, or run Workspaces: Trust Workspace.
There is no reduced-capability mode for an untrusted folder; trust the workspace or use the terminal.
Remote-SSH account sign-in may fail as described above; use /connect with an API key there.

Troubleshooting#

Quick pointers:

Symptom	Try
Panel says "trust required" / no sessions start	Trust the folder (see Limitations).
Sign-in spins, then times out	Sign in within a few minutes; on Remote-SSH use `/connect` instead. If the browser never opens, use the "Copy sign-in link" button.
Hosted requests return 401 / "please sign in"	Re-run Sign In, or check your plan — hosted models need a Rayu account (plans).

VS Code extension