Getting Started with Kodely

Welcome to Kodely! This guide will help you get started with Kodely, an AI-powered autonomous coding agent that lives in your editor. Follow these steps to install Kodely, connect your AI provider, and try your first task.

Installing Kodely

Kodely is available as a VS Code extension. You can install it directly from the VS Code Marketplace or from the Open VSX Registry.

From VS Code Marketplace

1. Open VS Code
2. Click on the Extensions icon in the Activity Bar (or press Ctrl+Shift+X / Cmd+Shift+X)
3. Search for "Kodely"
4. Click "Install" on the Kodely extension

Alternatively, you can install it directly from the marketplace:

From Open VSX Registry

If you're using an open-source VS Code alternative like VSCodium, you can install Kodely from the Open VSX Registry:

Manual Installation

If you prefer to install the extension manually:

1. Download the latest .vsix file from the GitHub releases page
2. In VS Code, go to the Extensions view
3. Click on the "..." menu in the top-right corner
4. Select "Install from VSIX..."
5. Navigate to the downloaded .vsix file and select it

System Requirements

• VS Code 1.85.0 or higher
• Node.js 18 or higher (for some features)

Connecting Your AI Provider

Kodely supports multiple AI providers. To use Kodely, you'll need to connect it to at least one AI provider.

Supported Providers

Kodely currently supports the following AI providers:

• Anthropic (Claude)
• OpenAI (GPT-4, GPT-3.5)
• Google (Gemini)
• Ollama (Local Models)
• Azure OpenAI
• Custom API Endpoints

Setting Up Your API Key

1. Open VS Code
2. Click on the Kodely icon in the Activity Bar
3. Click on the "Settings" icon (gear) in the Kodely panel
4. Select "API Configuration"
5. Choose your preferred provider
6. Enter your API key

Getting API Keys

Your First Task with Kodely

Now that you've installed Kodely and connected your AI provider, it's time to try your first task.

Opening the Kodely Panel

1. Open VS Code
2. Click on the Kodely icon in the Activity Bar (or press Ctrl+Shift+K / Cmd+Shift+K)
3. The Kodely panel will open, showing the chat interface

Starting a Conversation

Let's start with a simple task. Type one of these prompts in the chat input:

• "Create a simple React component that displays a counter with increment and decrement buttons"
• "Explain how async/await works in JavaScript"
• "Help me debug this function" (after selecting some code in your editor)

Understanding the Response

Kodely will respond with:

1. A detailed explanation of what it's going to do
2. The code or information you requested
3. Additional context or suggestions

Using Tools

One of Kodely's powerful features is its ability to use tools to interact with your development environment. For example:

1. Ask Kodely to "Create a new file called HelloWorld.js with a React component"
2. Kodely will:
   • Ask for your permission to create a file
   • Create the file with the component code
   • Provide an explanation of the code

Trying Different Modes

Kodely offers different modes for different types of tasks:

1. Click on the mode selector in the Kodely panel
2. Choose a different mode, such as "Architect" or "Debug"
3. Try a task appropriate for that mode:
   • Architect: "Design a system for a todo app with user authentication"
   • Debug: "Help me find the bug in this code" (after selecting some code)

Next Steps

Now that you've tried your first task with Kodely, you can explore more advanced features:

• Learn about the chat interface
• Discover how to use different modes
• Explore Kodely's tools
• Customize Kodely to your preferences