ChatGPT Chinese VSCode Plugin: Features, Installation, and User Feedback

The article reports on a ChatGPT Chinese version VSCode plugin developed by a client engineer at Kuaishou's main site, noting its rapid adoption with more than 40,000 downloads and widespread praise.

It explains that, despite occasional code errors generated by ChatGPT, developers are keen on its ability to write code, find bugs, and provide explanations, leading to the creation of this VSCode extension.

VS Code, being a free, open‑source, cross‑platform IDE, serves as the platform for the plugin, which offers AI‑driven programming guidance such as code explanation and bug detection.

Because ChatGPT is not directly accessible in mainland China, the plugin provides a no‑login, no‑registration, and no‑proxy version, allowing users to switch between domestic and overseas modes via the "ChatGPT: Switch domestic/overseas mode" command.

Installation is straightforward: after installing the extension from the VS Code marketplace, users can access commands via right‑click menus or the command palette (Ctrl+Shift+P / Cmd+Shift+P) by typing "ChatGPT".

The supported commands include:

ChatGPT: Ask a question – directly pose a query to ChatGPT.

ChatGPT: Add test code – generate test code for the selected snippet or file.

ChatGPT: Explain code issues – identify problems in selected code (error messages must be selected as well).

ChatGPT: Optimize code – refactor or improve the selected code or entire file.

ChatGPT: Explain code – provide explanations for the selected code or file.

ChatGPT: Execute custom command 1 – add and run a custom command for the selected code or file.

ChatGPT: Execute custom command 2 – add and run another custom command for the selected code or file.

After executing a command, an interactive side panel appears, displaying the conversation, allowing users to input further questions, and showing results once generated.

If the response contains code, three buttons appear: "Copy Code" (copies to clipboard), "Insert" (inserts into the current file), and "New" (creates a new file with the code).

When queries fail, the panel offers self‑help solutions for users to follow.

User feedback notes that the plugin, like GitHub Copilot, enables developers to program with AI assistance, reducing the need for manual copy‑paste and even assisting with automatic comment generation.

The author mentions ongoing development of similar plugins for JetBrains IDEs, while other IDEs may not see plugins soon.

Overall, the ChatGPT Chinese VSCode plugin exemplifies how AI tools are becoming essential "left‑ and right‑hand" assistants for programmers.