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ChatAI – Your Local AI Assistant

Since CodeLite 18.2.0

Overview

CodeLite 18.2.0 ships with a built-in chat interface that connects to any language model you configure – locally (via an Ollama server) or remotely (e.g., Anthropic Claude). Adding new endpoints is now a guided wizard process, and all interactions are performed through a clean, toolbar-driven UI.

Add an LLM Endpoint

New Endpoint

  • Open AI → Add New Endpoint from the main menu.

Menu – Add New Endpoint

  • Follow the wizard: choose a name, select the provider (Ollama, Claude, etc.), enter the URL and any required authentication, then click Finish.

Wizard – Step 1 Wizard – Step 2

  • Test the endpoint: press Ctrl+Shift+H to open the chat box and send a short prompt (e.g., "Hello").

Configuring Multiple Models for a Single Endpoint

Some endpoints support multiple models. For example, when working with Anthropic, you can choose between Haiku, Sonnet, or Opus. CodeLite allows you to configure multiple models for a single endpoint and quickly switch between them from the chat box UI.

To add multiple models:

  • Open the AI settings file from the main menu bar: AI → Open Setting File
  • Locate the endpoint section you want to modify
  • If you do not already have a models entry, add one so it resembles the following:
"https://api.anthropic.com": {
  "active": true,
  "context_size": 200000,
  "http_headers": {
    "x-api-key": "${ANTHROPIC_KEY}"
  },
  "max_tokens": 64000,
  "model": "claude-sonnet-4-5",
  "models": [
    "claude-sonnet-4-5",
    "claude-haiku-4-5",
    "claude-opus-4-5"
  ],
  "type": "anthropic"
},
  • Save the file. The UI will update automatically.

The Chat Box

Open the chat box at any time with Ctrl+Shift+H. The window can be used for casual questions, code-related queries, or to instruct the model to perform tasks.

Chat Box Interface

Built-in Model Tools

CodeLite exposes the following built-in tools for the model:

File & Workspace Management

  • CreateNewFile - Create a new file at the specified path with optional content

    • filepath (string): The path where the new file should be created
    • file_content (string): The initial content to write to the file

  • CreateWorkspace - Create a new workspace at the given path with the provided name

    • path (string): The directory path where the workspace should be created
    • name (string): The name of the workspace to create
    • host (string): The SSH host for creating a remote workspace

  • ReadFileContent - Read the content of a file from the disk

    • filepath (string): The path of the file to read
    • from_line (number, optional): Starting line number (1-based) to read from
    • line_count (number, optional): Number of lines to read

  • OpenFileInEditor - Try to open a file and load it into the editor for editing or viewing

    • filepath (string): The path of the file to open inside the editor

  • GetActiveEditorFilePath - Retrieves the file path of the currently active editor

    • (no parameters)

  • GetActiveEditorText - Return the text of the active tab inside the editor

    • from_line (number, optional): Optional starting line (1-based)
    • count (number, optional): Number of lines to read

Git Operations

  • ApplyPatch - Apply a git style diff patch to a file

    • patch_content (string): The git style diff patch content to apply
    • file_path (string): The path to the file that should be patched

  • GetLogInRangeCommit - Return git history of commits between a range of commits

    • start_commit (string): The first commit in the range
    • end_commit (string): The second commit in the range

Search & Exploration

  • FindInFiles - Search for a given pattern within files in a directory (using grep)
    • root_folder (string): The root directory where the search begins
    • find_what (string): The text pattern to search for
    • file_pattern (string): The file pattern to match
    • case_sensitive (boolean, optional): When enabled, performs case-sensitive matching
    • whole_word (boolean, optional): When enabled, matches only complete words
    • is_regex (boolean, optional): When enabled, treats find_what as a regular expression pattern
    • context_lines_before (number, optional): Number of lines to display before each match
    • context_lines_after (number, optional): Number of lines to display after each match

System & Execution

  • GetOS - Return the current active OS

    • (no parameters)

  • ShellExecute - Execute a shell command and return its output

    • command (string): The shell command to execute

  • ReadCompilerOutput - Read and fetches the compiler build log output of the most recent build command executed by the user

    • (no parameters)

Quick Example

You get a confusing compile error. Type:

Explain the build errors and suggest fixes.

The model will automatically call ReadCompilerOutput, fetch the log, and then reply with a human-readable explanation and concrete fixes.

External MCP Servers

In addition to the built-in tools, CodeLite supports external MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers. You can integrate two types of external servers:

  • SSE (Server-Sent Events) over HTTPS — For remote server connections
  • Local MCP Server (over STDIO) — For locally running servers

Adding External MCP Servers

To add an external MCP server, navigate to the menu bar and select one of the following options:

Server Type Menu Path
Local MCP Server AI → Add New Local MCP Server
SSE MCP Server AI → Add New SSE MCP Server

Placeholders

CodeLite provides a comprehensive set of placeholders that can be utilized within prompts. When you type {{ in the chat box, a completion menu will appear displaying all available placeholders.

Supported placeholders:

  • {{current_selection}} – The currently selected text in the editor
  • {{current_file_fullpath}} – Full path of the current file
  • {{current_file_ext}} – File extension of the current file
  • {{current_file_dir}} – Directory containing the current file
  • {{current_file_name}} – Name of the current file
  • {{current_file_lang}} – Programming language of the current file
  • {{current_file_content}} – Complete content of the current file

CodeLite Prompt Store

Overview

CodeLite provides a Prompt Store feature that enables users to write and store prompts for future use. This functionality facilitates efficient prompt management and customization within the development environment.

Prompt Editor

The Prompt Editor allows you to:

  • Tweak the system prompt for each operation
  • Add custom prompts
  • Create entirely new AI actions

These prompts can be used from the Chat-Box "Options" drop down menu.

AI-Powered IDE Features

Git Commit Message

Git Commit Message Generation

One click generates a full commit message from the current diff.

Automatic Function Documentation

Automatic Function Documentation

Place the cursor inside a function, press Ctrl+Shift+M, and the model writes a complete docstring.

Getting Help

  • Open the chat box (Ctrl+Shift+H) and ask any question or ask the model to perform tasks for you.
  • For endpoint-specific issues, use AI → Settings to view or edit the stored URLs and tokens.

Enjoy a smarter, faster coding experience with ChatAI in CodeLite