When AI Assistants Meet Your VS Code Setup

I recently came across a Reddit post in r/vscode that’s been on my mind as I evaluate different AI coding assistants. A JavaScript/React developer with 10+ years of experience was interested in learning more about what AI Coding Assistants integrate into the tools they already use, in this case, VS Code.

This resonated with me both because I’ve just started testing out different coding assistants, and I’ve heard a lot of experienced developers talking about how they don’t want new tools throwing off their development environment workflow.

In my last post, I explored which AI coding assistants actually help developers grow, testing Continue, GitHub Copilot, and Cursor on building a new feature. This post explores my take on what happens when they met my actual development environment.

My VS Code Setup

I wouldn’t call my VS Code setup “the perfect” setup, but it’s one that I know, am familiar with, and allows me to use muscle memory to move faster. I have the extensions that help with code formatting, bracket colorization, markdown preview, and more. I have a theme that I like, and customizations that help with my productivity, so I don’t have to worry about that stuff when I’m working on a project. So, for me, integrating something new should be about enhancing what I already have.

The Three AI Coding Assistant Integration Experiences

Continue: "Work Within Your World"

Continue's philosophy of "amplifying intent rather than replacing it" extends to how it integrates with VS Code. It's designed to enhance your existing environment, not replace it.

The Setup Reality: Installing Continue was straightforward since it functions as VS Code extension. There’s a bit of a jump to configure. I was using Agent mode, and some of the settings have to be changed on the web UI. Right now, I’m using two different assistants: one for my Jekyll project and the other for my Astro projects. You can customize your assistant with what they call blocks by setting things like documentation, rules, context, MCP, prompts, and more. This allows you to get really specialized with your models. (It’s worth noting that you can also use the JetBrains extension with Continue.)

There was a bit of a learning curve to getting started, but it wasn’t enough to make me want to quit. I like the more granular control I have using continue and being able to customize it. It also has autocomplete, chat, and edit that integrates well into the existing VS Code structure.

Within VS Code, you can switch your agent or use a local agent with your API key to whatever LLM you want to use. So if you want to use Claude for understanding complex code and GPT-4 for creative problem-solving, you can switch that up in the VS Code extension as long as you’ve had them added to your assistant via the web UI. It’s worth noting that if you’re using one of your assistants and you add a block via the web UI, you need to refresh the assistant in VS Code.

The Integration Experience: Continue played nicely with my existing extensions. I didn’t see any conflicts, performance issues, or broken shortcuts. It felt additive rather than disruptive. When I needed to debug the word game feature from my previous post, Continue understood the context from my existing files and suggested improvements without changing how I normally work.

GitHub Copilot: "Native Family Member"

Built by Microsoft for VS Code, Copilot's integration advantage is obvious. I installed Copilot a while ago, but I needed to reactivate it. I signed in with GitHub, activated the extension, and started coding. I didn’t need to configure anything. There are Copilot settings that you can adjust via the web platform. Login to GitHub, and go to https://github.com/settings/copilot/features.
There are functions to ask Copilot questions, edit, or use the agent. You can also add context and change your model via the VS Code extension, but you may need to manage your models via the settings.

I added my chat/agent work on the right side of VS Code, because I didn’t want to disrupt my flow.

The Integration Experience: Unsurprisingly, Copilot integrated smoothly with my existing setup. My extensions kept working, my shortcuts stayed the same, and VS Code felt familiar. The suggestions appeared inline without disrupting my flow, and I could easily ignore them when I needed to focus.

Unlike Continue, I didn’t find a simple way to add rules. From their docs, I saw that you can create custom instructions using a .github/copilot-instructions.md file, but I’ll be honest, I haven’t tested that. I was looking more at what I could do via the extension experience.

I definitely appreciated the ease of getting started, but there are more features and settings that aren’t necessarily obvious through the extension..

Cursor: "Leave VS Code Behind"

Cursor's integration philosophy differs, since you have to leave VS Code for their app. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t exactly excited about having to install something new. I felt like I was essentially starting over. It's a fork of VS Code, so it looks familiar, and I was able to import my settings and extensions with one click. It wasn’t nearly as bad as I was anticipating.

After opening a project, using Cursor felt really familiar, since it looked and felt a lot like both Continue and Copilot. There were options to select your model. You could select from Agent, Ask, or Manual mode. And you could look at past chat history.

Once you explore settings, you’ll find more options like creating Rules in app. You can select and search models, add docs, and adjust settings for chat and tab as well. They also share more information about beta features, like background agents that let you run agents in the cloud.

The Integration Experience: This felt way more familiar than I expected it to. The tab feature worked as expected, but I did miss the ability to highlight a piece of code and learn more about it or refactor. I think the feature is kind of there as “Ask a quick question”, but it’s also a little buried.

Bonus: I really liked their default theme. That’s not something I’d actually evaluate an AI assistant on, but now I want the same thing for my VS Code 😂

Practical Takeaways for Your AI Code Assistant Integration Decision

For me, I want a tool that integrates into my workflow and helps to balance:

• Cognitive Load Management: If I’m constantly fighting my tools, I can't focus on learning from them.
• Customization and Growth: Tools that adapt to my workflow can also adapt to my learning style.
• Sustainable Learning: The best learning happens over time, but that requires sustainable tool adoption. If every coding session includes frustration with my development environment, I’m not building a foundation for long-term growth.

If you're thinking about adding an AI assistant to your development workflow, take inventory of your current VS Code setup. What extensions, shortcuts, and customizations are non-negotiable? Be honest about your tolerance for workflow disruption. Are you willing to start over for better AI features?
Consider your learning goals alongside productivity goals.

In terms of ease of integration with my existing development tools, all three AI Code Assistants worked well for me. I appreciated the ease of use and the not-too-steep learning curve. I do like the customization I was able to achieve with Continue. Just remember that your development environment is personal. Test out some AI Coding Assistants and see what works best for you.