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Tsedal AI documentation

Everything you need to work with Tsedal AI in Visual Studio Code, from quick questions to tasks the agent runs for you.

Getting started

Request access. Tsedal AI is in private beta. Request access and we'll email your personal access key and the extension when your place is ready.
Install the extension. In VS Code, open the Extensions view, choose Install from VSIX… from the ⋯ menu, and pick the file we sent you.
Add your access key. Open the Tsedal AI panel and paste your key when asked. It's stored in VS Code's secure storage, never in your settings files.
Start coding. Ask a question, hand a task to the agent, select code to edit it, or just type and accept suggestions.

Your access key is personal. Don't share it or commit it to a repository. If it leaks, ask us for a new one.

Ask and Agent

The Tsedal panel has two modes. Switch between them at any time with the toggle at the top of the panel.

AgentCarries out a whole task: reads your project, plans, edits files, runs commands and tests, and keeps going until the task is done. You review every change.

AskAnswers questions about your code. It only reads, so it never changes your files.

Both modes use the intelligence levels described below, and both can work with files you attach.

Agent mode

Describe the outcome you want, for example "Add pagination to the orders API and update the tests". The agent then:

Reads the relevant files in your project.
Plans the change and shows you the plan.
Edits across as many files as the task needs.
Runs commands and tests in the terminal, and fixes what fails.
Hands back a summary and the changes for you to review.

You stay in control. Every file change is shown as a diff you can accept or reject. You choose which actions need your approval first, such as running terminal commands, and you can stop the agent at any time. Keep your work in version control so you can always go back.

Give the agent a clear goal and, where it helps, the files or tests that define "done". Larger tasks work best at the Smart or Max level.

Ask mode

Open the panel with Ctrl L (⌘ L on macOS) and choose Ask. Select code first to ask about it specifically. Answers stream in as they're written, and code blocks can be copied or inserted into your file. Ask mode never changes your files.

Scheduled tasks

Schedule an agent task to run at a set time or on a repeat, then come back to the results. Good uses:

Every weekday morning: update dependencies and summarise breaking changes
Every Friday: write release notes from the week's commits
Nightly: run the test suite and explain any new failures

Create a schedule from the Tsedal panel: describe the task, pick when and how often it runs, and choose the intelligence level. You can pause, edit or delete a schedule at any time. Scheduled runs count toward your allowances like any other request.

Attach files

Drag files into the Tsedal panel, or use the attach button, to give Tsedal extra context in Ask or Agent mode:

Screenshots of an error or a design to build
Specs, documents and PDFs
Logs and stack traces
Any file from your project or elsewhere

Attachments are sent with your request to the model that answers it and, like your prompts, are never stored by Tsedal AI.

Intelligence levels

Choose a level in the Tsedal panel, or leave it on Auto and Tsedal AI picks one for each request. Levels apply in both Ask and Agent mode.

AutoThe default. Everyday questions go to Fast, small chores like commit messages to a lightweight model, and questions that look hard move up to Smart.

FastAnswers in a second or two. Best for most questions, edits and small agent tasks.

SmartThinks through the problem before answering. Best for tricky bugs, stack traces and refactoring.

MaxThe most capable frontier model. Save it for the hardest problems.

AutocompleteAlways on while you type. Tuned for speed.

When you pick a level yourself, Tsedal AI never overrides it.

Inline edits

Select the code to change and press Ctrl I (⌘ I on macOS). Describe the change in a sentence, then review the diff and accept or reject it. Nothing changes in your file until you accept.

Autocomplete

Suggestions appear in grey as you type. Press Tab to accept, or keep typing to ignore. Suggestions use the code both before and after your cursor.

Usage and allowances

Every account has daily, weekly and monthly allowances for each intelligence level. Agent tasks and scheduled runs count toward them like any other request. The status bar at the bottom of VS Code shows what you have left. When you reach an allowance, Tsedal AI tells you when it resets, and you can keep working at another level meanwhile. Allowances reset at midnight East Africa Time, on Mondays and on the 1st of the month.

Privacy

Tsedal AI never stores your prompts, code, attachments or answers. It keeps only a usage record: when a request happened, which mode answered it and how large it was. Don't send passwords, keys or code you aren't allowed to share. Read the full terms and privacy.

Troubleshooting

"This access key is not valid": Check that the whole key was pasted, with no spaces. If it still fails, ask us for a new key.
"You have used all … requests": You've reached an allowance for that level. The message tells you when it resets; try another level meanwhile.
"The models are not responding": All models for that level were busy or unavailable. The request was not counted. Wait a moment and try again.
No suggestions while typing: Make sure the extension is enabled and your access key is set, then pause typing for a moment: suggestions appear when you stop.