VS Code Extension
Review, rewrite, and simplify technical documentation and UX copy against your style rules, terminology, and glossary — directly in VS Code.
Requirements
- A TechWrit AI account with a Pro or Team subscription
- An API key (create one at techwrit.ai under API Keys in the user menu)
Installation
- Install the TechWrit AI extension from the VS Code Marketplace.
- Open a Markdown file.
- The status bar shows TechWrit AI: No API key — select it or run
TechWrit AI: Set API Keyfrom the command palette. - Paste your API key (starts with
twai_). - Right-click in the editor and select TechWrit AI: Review Document.
Your API key is stored securely in VS Code's secret storage, not in settings.json.
Commands
| Command | Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|---|
| TechWrit AI: Review Document | Ctrl+Shift+F6 | Review the full document for style issues |
| TechWrit AI: Review (Suggestions Panel) | Review with an inline accept/reject panel (a stacked diff per suggestion) | |
| TechWrit AI: Style Check | Ctrl+Shift+F7 | Audit every active rule with a style score |
| TechWrit AI: Rewrite Document | Ctrl+Shift+F8 | Rewrite to comply with your style rules |
| TechWrit AI: Simplify Document | Ctrl+Shift+F9 | Simplify for readability |
| TechWrit AI: Review Selection | Review selected text only | |
| TechWrit AI: Rewrite Selection | Rewrite selected text in-place | |
| TechWrit AI: UX Review Selection | Review selected UI copy for clarity, tone, and accessibility | |
| TechWrit AI: UX Rewrite Selection | Rewrite selected UI copy to be concise and actionable | |
| TechWrit AI: Set API Key | Configure your API key |
Documentation commands (Review, Style Check, Rewrite, Simplify) apply to Markdown and MDX files. UX commands work on any file type — select UI strings in a .tsx, .json, .yaml, or any other file and run the command.
How each mode works
Review
Sends your document to the TechWrit AI API and returns severity-ranked issues (Critical, Important, Minor) as native VS Code diagnostics. Issues appear as squiggly underlines in the editor. Hover an issue to see the explanation, then select the lightbulb icon to apply the suggested correction as a quick-fix.
Review (Suggestions Panel)
An interactive alternative to Review Document. Opens a panel beside your editor where each finding is shown as a stacked diff — the original text in red, the suggested replacement in green — with Accept and Reject buttons on every suggestion. A header shows Applied, Unapplied, and Not-helpful counts, plus an Apply all button.
Select Accept to apply that edit directly to your document, or Reject to dismiss it. Because the document sits next to the panel, you can work through suggestions one at a time and watch each change land — without leaving the editor. Applied suggestions can be reverted, and rejected ones restored.
Structural findings that have no single span to replace — for example, "add a Prerequisites section" — are listed as Notes at the bottom of the panel.
Use the Suggestions Panel when you want to review and apply changes interactively; use Review Document when you prefer inline squiggles and lightbulb quick-fixes.
Style Check
Runs a structured audit of every active style rule. Violations become diagnostics in the editor. The style score percentage displays in the status bar.
Rewrite
Rewrites your document to comply with your style rules. The updated content replaces the document directly. Use Ctrl+Z to undo if needed.
Simplify
Reduces reading complexity to Grade 8-10 level. Same in-place update behavior as Rewrite.
Selection support
Select text, then right-click and choose Review Selection or Rewrite Selection to analyze or rewrite just the highlighted section.
UX Review
Reviews selected UI copy — error messages, button labels, tooltips, onboarding text, empty states, notifications, confirmation dialogs — for clarity, conciseness, actionability, tone, consistency, and accessibility. Results appear in the Output panel as narrative feedback on each string; no inline diagnostics (UX review output is per-string guidance, not line-by-line).
Requires a selection. Works in any file type, so you can run it on hardcoded strings in .tsx / .jsx, locale files in .json / .yaml, or any other context where UI copy lives.
UX Rewrite
Rewrites selected UI copy to be concise and actionable. Enforces common UI-copy constraints (button labels 1-3 words, tooltips under 150 characters, error titles under 8 words). Replaces the selection in place — use Ctrl+Z to undo.
Requires a selection. Works in any file type.
Settings
| Setting | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
techwrit.baseUrl | https://techwrit.ai/api | API base URL |
techwrit.audience | (empty) | Default target audience: consumer, engineers, developers, or devops |
techwrit.docType | (empty) | Default document type (e.g., "API reference") |
techwrit.reviewOnSave | false | Automatically run Review when saving Markdown files |
Shared configuration
The extension uses your saved style rules, terminology substitutions, and product glossary from your TechWrit AI account. Any changes you make in the web app are reflected in the extension automatically — there is nothing to sync.
Quota
API requests from the extension share the same monthly quota as the web app. Rate limit information is shown in the status bar tooltip after each request.
Status bar
The status bar shows the current state of the extension:
- No API key — Select to enter your key
- TechWrit AI (checkmark) — Ready to use
- Running Review/Rewrite/... (spinner) — Analysis in progress
- 3 issues found or 85% style score — Results after a run
Troubleshooting
"API access requires a Pro or Team subscription" — The extension requires a paid subscription. Upgrade at techwrit.ai.
"Invalid or missing API key" — Your API key may have been revoked or is incorrect. Run TechWrit AI: Set API Key to re-enter it.
No diagnostics appear after Review — Check the Output panel (View > Output, select "TechWrit AI") for the full response. The document may already comply with your rules.
Extension not visible in status bar — The status bar indicator only shows when a Markdown or MDX file is active. Commands are still available from the Command Palette and editor context menu in any file.
UX Review or UX Rewrite does nothing — Both commands require a text selection. If nothing is selected, the command shows a warning and exits. Select the UI text first, then run the command.
Backend returns "Backend call failure" — This is the Azure gateway error when the API can't be reached. Check your techwrit.baseUrl setting and verify your API key is valid. The extension surfaces this as a readable error rather than crashing.