W1 for VS Code
Your editor, extensions and terminal stay exactly where they are. W1 works alongside them.
Install and sign in#
Install W1 from the Visual Studio Marketplace, then open the command palette and run W1: Sign In. Sign-in happens in your browser; you never paste a credential into the editor.
The extension runs the same engine as the desktop app, against the folder you have open in VS Code. It works on Windows, macOS and Linux.
A W1 account is required.
If you already use the desktop app or the CLI, it is the same account and the same sign-in — you do not need a second one.
Commands#
Everything is on the command palette under W1:
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
| W1: New Chat | Start a fresh thread. |
| W1: New Run | Start a new run in the panel. |
| W1: Stop Run | Interrupt whatever is running. |
| W1: Focus Panel | Put focus in the W1 panel. |
| W1: Open Chat in Editor Tab | Move the conversation out of the side panel and into a full editor tab — much better for long runs and for reading a diff alongside it. |
| W1: Sign In / W1: Sign Out | Manage your session. |
| W1: Check for Updates | Check the Marketplace for a newer extension. |
Panel or tab#
The side panel is right for quick work while you keep coding. For anything longer — a migration, a research pass, reading back a run — Open Chat in Editor Tab gives the conversation a full editor's width, and you can split it against the files being changed.
What is different from the desktop app#
The engine, tools, permissions, memory and rewind are identical. The differences are the ones you would expect from living inside an editor:
- The project is the folder VS Code has open.
- Your editor, extensions and terminal are untouched — W1 works alongside them rather than replacing them.
- Updates arrive through the Marketplace rather than through W1's own updater.
The collaborative browser is available here as it is on the desktop.
When something goes wrong#
The extension host is one more moving part between you and the engine. If the panel is unresponsive but VS Code is fine, reload the window first — that restarts the extension host without losing your thread. If a run looks stuck, check whether it is actually waiting on an approval before you restart anything, and see Troubleshooting.
For a failure you want to report, include your VS Code version and the W1 extension version along with the usual facts.