Set up your AI
This is the step that changes everything. Up until now, you've been setting up your workspace. Now you're adding an AI assistant — one that can read your code, write new code, explain errors, and build features from a plain English description.
A few years ago, this would've meant learning to code from scratch. Today, you describe what you want, and the AI builds it.
There are dozens of AI coding extensions, but these three stand out: they're backed by the biggest AI labs, they work as chat-based agents where you describe what you want in plain English, and they work with plans you may already have — ChatGPT Plus, Claude Pro, or Copilot Pro — so you don't have to worry about usage much.
This landscape moves fast. These are our picks as of early 2026 — check for updates if you're reading this later.
| Extension | Style |
|---|---|
| Codex | Hands-off — give it a task, come back to a finished result. Starts at $20/mo (ChatGPT Plus) |
| Claude Code | Collaborative — works with you interactively, step by step. Starts at $20/mo (Claude Pro) |
| GitHub Copilot | Budget-friendly — $10/mo Pro plan gives you access to multiple models. Free tier available but limited models |
You can't go wrong. Pick whichever matches a plan you already pay for, or start with Copilot Pro if you want the cheapest option.
If you want to stay absolutely free, try Antigravity — Google's VS Code fork that gives you plenty of Gemini access at no cost.
Open the Extensions panel in VS Code — click the blocks icon in the sidebar, or press ⇧⌘X · Ctrl+Shift+X . Search for the one you want, click Install, and follow the sign-in prompts.
If VS Code asks you to trust the publisher, click Trust Publisher & Install.
Right-click each AI extension icon in the sidebar and choose Move To → Secondary Side Bar. This keeps your file explorer on the left and AI chats on the right.
Now open the chat panel — press ⌥⌘B · Ctrl+Alt+B or click the top-right sidebar button. If you see tabs like CODEX, CLAUDE CODE, or CHAT, you're all set.
Try it out
In that chat panel you just opened, ask:
What is this project about?
It should summarize your project by reading through the files. If it does, your AI assistant is working and ready to help.
Your AI assistant is ready. One more quick extension before you start building.
One more extension
While you're in the Extensions panel, search for Oxc and install it.
Oxc is like spell-check for code formatting — consistent spacing, clean indentation, tidy line breaks. Your starter project is already configured to use it, so every time you or your AI save a file, Oxc tidies it up automatically. You'll never think about it.
You've got your workspace, your local server, your AI, and your formatter. Time to make your first change.