VS Code Extension

Overview

OWN APP: Vectora offers a native VS Code extension with integrated UI (sidebar panel, commands, inline hover) — no MCP required. Fully customized development for VS Code.

Important

VS Code Extension (own app) vs MCP Protocol (generic for multiple IDEs). Use the extension if you are using VS Code.

Installation

Via VS Code Marketplace

Open VS Code.
Go to Extensions (Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + X).
Search for: Vectora.
Click Install.

Alternative: Manual Install

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/kaffyn/vectora-vscode.git

# Install in ~/.vscode/extensions
ln -s $(pwd)/vectora-vscode ~/.vscode/extensions/

Initial Setup

Step 1: Configure Vectora in the Project

cd ~/your-project
vectora init --name "My Project" --type codebase

Step 2: Open Project in VS Code

code ~/your-project

Step 3: Configure Keys

VS Code will prompt for API keys on the first run. You can:

Option A: Paste keys directly (stored in encrypted settings.json).
Option B: Use local .env (.env will be read automatically).
Option C: Use system environment variables (PATH, HOME, etc.).

# Via .env (recommended)
cat > .env << 'EOF'
GEMINI_API_KEY=sk-...
VOYAGE_API_KEY=sk-...
VECTORA_NAMESPACE=your-namespace
EOF

Interface & Features

Sidebar Panel

VS Code displays a “Vectora” panel in the sidebar:

┌─────────────────────────┐
│ Vectora │
├─────────────────────────┤
│ Indexed Files │
│ • src/ (2847 chunks) │
│ • docs/ (312 chunks) │
│ │
│ Search │
│ [Search box] │
│ │
│ Stats │
│ Precision: 0.72 │
│ Latency: 120ms │
│ Indexed: 3159 chunks │
└─────────────────────────┘

Command Palette

Access commands via Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + P:

Vectora: Search Context
Vectora: Analyze Dependencies
Vectora: Find Tests
Vectora: Index Status
Vectora: Show Metrics

Inline Hover

Hover over an identifier to see context:

function getUserById(|id: string) { ← Hover here
  // Shows:
  // - Type: function
  // - Defined in: src/user-service.ts:45
  // - Similar context: findUserById, getUser, etc.
}

Step-by-Step Workflows

The workflows below demonstrate the typical experience of using the Vectora extension in VS Code, with a detailed interface and clear steps.

Workflow 1: Quick Search (5s setup)

Scenario: You want to understand how JWT tokens are validated in the project.

1. Press Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + P (Command Palette)
   → Shows: empty input box with ">" at the top

2. Type: "Vectora: Search Context"
   → Autocomplete shows Vectora option

3. Press Enter
   → Opens search panel (right of the sidebar)

4. Type: "How to validate tokens?"
   → In real-time: shows results as you type

5. Results appear in 120-250ms
   ┌─────────────────────────────────┐
   │ Vectora Results (8 chunks) │
   ├─────────────────────────────────┤
   │ src/auth/jwt.ts:45 │ ← Click to go
   │ validateToken() { ... │
   │ precision: 0.92 | latency 240ms│
   │ │
   │ src/auth/guards.ts:12 │
   │ VerifyJWT middleware { ... │
   │ precision: 0.88 | latency 240ms│
   │ │
   │ src/auth/types.ts:3 │
   │ interface JWTPayload { ... │
   │ precision: 0.76 │
   │ │
   │ [Show more] │
   └─────────────────────────────────┘

Click any result → editor jumps to the file.

Workflow 2: Intelligent Function Analysis

Scenario: You clicked on a function and want to see EVERYTHING related to it.

1. Position cursor on: getUserById
2. Press Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + H (Find References)
3. VS Code shows "Find All References" panel:

   ┌─────────────────────────────────┐
   │ 62 References to getUserById │
   ├─────────────────────────────────┤
   │ DIRECT CALLS (47) │
   │ • src/routes/user.ts:23 │
   │ • src/middleware/auth.ts:34 │
   │ • src/services/profile.ts:12 │
   │ │
   │ INDIRECT via getUserData (12) │
   │ • src/handlers/index.ts:5 │
   │ • src/cache/service.ts:99 │
   │ │
   │ TESTS (3) │
   │ • src/__tests__/user.test.ts:45 │
   │ │
   │ [Expand with Vectora] ← New │
   └─────────────────────────────────┘

Click “Expand with Vectora” → shows semantic context:

Similar references not found via AST:
• getUserByEmail() [85% similar]
• fetchUser() [72% similar]
• getActiveUser() [68% similar]

Workflow 3: Context-Aware Code Review (Understanding complex PR)

Scenario: Reviewing a PR that touches authentication; need to understand the impact.

1. Open modified file: auth/jwt.ts
2. Cmd/Ctrl + Alt + F (Find Changes in Context)
3. Panel shows:

   ┌────────────────────────────────────┐
   │ Vectora: Changes & Impact │
   ├────────────────────────────────────┤
   │ MODIFIED LINES │
   │ L45: function validateToken │
   │ L52: if (!token.verified) │
   │ │
   │ FILES USING THESE FUNCTIONS │
   │ • src/guards/auth.guard.ts (5) │
   │ • src/routes/api.ts (3) │
   │ • src/middleware/verify.ts (8) │
   │ │
   │ RELATED TESTS │
   │ • auth.guard.test.ts │
   │ • jwt.validation.test.ts │
   │ │
   │ ALERT: 16 dependencies │
   │ Recommend running full tests │
   └────────────────────────────────────┘

Click “Run Related Tests” → VS Code executes only relevant tests (10s vs 2min full suite)

Configuration

settings.json

{
  "vectora.enabled": true,
  "vectora.namespace": "your-namespace",
  "vectora.trustFolder": "./src",
  "vectora.autoIndex": true,
  "vectora.indexOnSave": true,
  "vectora.maxTokens": 4096,
  "vectora.searchStrategy": "semantic",
  "vectora.showMetrics": true,
  "vectora.debugMode": false
}

Advanced Config

# .vscode/vectora.yaml (alternative)
vectora:
  namespace: your-namespace
  context_engine:
    strategy: "semantic"
    max_depth: 3
    timeout_ms: 2000

  ui:
    show_metrics: true
    position: "right" # or "left"
    width_percent: 30

  indexing:
    auto_index: true
    on_save: true
    exclude:
      - node_modules/**
      - .git/**

Complementary Extensions

For the best experience, install:

ES7+ React/Redux/React-Native snippets — Smart autocomplete.
Prettier — Consistent formatting.
GitLens — Blame + history (combines well with Vectora).

Troubleshooting

Extension doesn’t appear in the sidebar

Cause: It is not enabled.

Solution:

Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + X → Search "Vectora" → Click "Enable"

“Vectora command not found” in integrated terminal

Cause: VS Code uses a different PATH.

Solution:

# In the integrated terminal
which vectora
# If not found:
npm install -g @kaffyn/vectora

# Or add to PATH in settings.json
"vectora.commandPath": "/usr/local/bin/vectora"

“API key not configured”

Solution:

Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + P → “Vectora: Configure”
Paste your keys.
Or use .env in the project root.

Extension is very slow

Reduce scope:

{
  "vectora.trustFolder": "./src",
  "vectora.searchStrategy": "structural"
}

Disable auto-index:

{
  "vectora.autoIndex": false,
  "vectora.indexOnSave": false
}

Performance Tips

Incremental Index: Only changed files are re-indexed.
```
# In VS Code terminal
vectora index --incremental
```

Filter by Extension:

{
  "vectora.includePatterns": ["**/*.ts", "**/*.tsx"],
  "vectora.excludePatterns": ["**/*.test.ts"]
}

Local Embedding: For maximum privacy + performance:

{
  "vectora.embeddingProvider": "local",
  "vectora.embeddingModel": "all-MiniLM-L6-v2"
}

Hotkeys

Shortcut	Action
`Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + P`	Open Vectora command
`Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + V`	Open Vectora sidebar
`Cmd/Ctrl + Alt + F`	Find via Vectora
`Cmd/Ctrl + Alt + D`	Analyze dependencies

Customize in: Code → Preferences → Keyboard Shortcuts

Comparison: Extension vs MCP

Feature	VS Code Extension	MCP (Cursor/Claude)
Install	Marketplace	Config JSON
UI Panel	Native	Chat-based
Hotkeys	Customizable	Fixed
Performance	Local	Network
Privacy	Full (local embeddings)	APIs

Recommendation: Use VS Code Extension for best UX. Use MCP for Cursor/Claude.

Limitations

Resource	Limit
Simultaneous search	1
Context window	4K-8K tokens (configurable)
Index size	Unlimited (disk)
Latency target	< 300ms

Next: ChatGPT Plugin

Part of the Vectora ecosystem · Open Source (MIT)

ChatGPT Plugin Custom Agents