Captain Stack is a VSCode extension designed to assist developers with code generation and suggestion, functioning as an alternative to GitHub Copilot. It targets developers seeking efficient code retrieval and AI-powered code creation directly within their IDE, offering a hybrid approach that leverages both search engine results and large language models.

How It Works

The extension operates through a dual mechanism: code search and AI code generation. For code search, it queries Google to find relevant answers on Stack Overflow and code snippets from GitHub Gist, presenting these as autocompletion suggestions. For AI code generation, it integrates with OpenAI and OpenRouter, allowing users to generate code by providing an API key and selecting a model. Users trigger these features by typing specific commands like // find {query} or // generate {query} in their VSCode editor.

Quick Start & Requirements

• Install via VSCode Extensions marketplace.
• Requires API keys for OpenAI or OpenRouter to use AI generation features.
• Configuration is done through VSCode settings (Meta + ,).

Highlighted Details

• Hybrid code suggestion: Combines Stack Overflow/GitHub Gist search with AI generation.
• Supports OpenAI and OpenRouter for AI code generation.
• Configurable parameters for AI output (number of results, temperature).
• Triggered via simple comment-based commands (// find, // generate).

Maintenance & Community

The project lists contributors Kekschen, Charlie Lin, and Hieu Nguyen. Users are encouraged to open threads for feedback and discussion.

Licensing & Compatibility

The README does not explicitly state a license. Compatibility for commercial use or closed-source linking is not specified.

Limitations & Caveats

AI generation features require users to provide their own API keys and incur associated costs. The effectiveness of code search relies on Google's indexing and Stack Overflow/GitHub Gist content quality.