Use Contenox from VS Code or VSCodium

Contenox ships a local-first editor extension for VS Code-compatible editors. The extension starts the Contenox runtime directly from a bundled binary, so you do not need to run contenox serve.

In VS Code, install it from the Marketplace. For VSCodium, remote workspace hosts, or offline installs, use the platform-specific .vsix from a GitHub Release. Both paths are below.

Install from the Marketplace

In VS Code, open the Extensions view, search for Contenox, and install it. Or from the command line:

code --install-extension contenox.contenox-runtime

Then continue with Set up Contenox in the editor.

1. Download the right VSIX

Open the latest Contenox release:

github.com/contenox/runtime/releases/latest

Download the extension package that matches the machine where the extension host runs:

For normal local editing, choose the package for your laptop or desktop. For Remote SSH, Dev Containers, or Codespaces-style workspaces, choose the package for the remote workspace host, because Contenox runs as a workspace extension.

2. Install in VS Code

From the command line:

code --install-extension ./runtime-linux-x64-<version>.vsix --force

Replace the filename with the file you downloaded.

Or use the UI:

1. Open Extensions.
2. Open the ... menu.
3. Choose Install from VSIX....
4. Select the downloaded runtime-...vsix file.

Restart or reload the window after installation.

3. Install in VSCodium

From the command line:

codium --install-extension ./runtime-linux-x64-<version>.vsix --force

Replace the filename with the file you downloaded.

Or use the UI:

1. Open Extensions.
2. Open the ... menu.
3. Choose Install from VSIX....
4. Select the downloaded runtime-...vsix file.

Restart or reload the window after installation.

4. Set up Contenox in the editor

Open a trusted workspace, then run these commands from the Command Palette:

Contenox: Run Setup
Contenox: Restart Bridge
Contenox: Show Status
Contenox: Open Chat

The setup command configures the local Contenox state and model defaults. The bridge command restarts the bundled contenox vscode-agent --stdio process. The status command confirms whether the runtime sees a provider and model.

You can also use the native chat participant:

@contenox /doctor
@contenox hello

Autocomplete

The extension can provide inline ghost-text suggestions as you type. It is disabled by default and uses a separate, FIM-capable model from chat.

Set the autocomplete model from the CLI (or with contenox.autocompleteModel in VS Code settings):

contenox config set default-autocomplete-provider mistral
contenox config set default-autocomplete-model codestral-latest

Then run Contenox: Enable Autocomplete, followed by Contenox: Test Autocomplete At Cursor to confirm the model returns usable text. With no autocomplete model configured, no suggestions appear.

Updating

Download the newer .vsix from the latest release and run the same install command again:

code --install-extension ./runtime-linux-x64-<new-version>.vsix --force
codium --install-extension ./runtime-linux-x64-<new-version>.vsix --force

Your Contenox data directory is not deleted by reinstalling the extension.

Uninstalling

code --uninstall-extension contenox.contenox-runtime
codium --uninstall-extension contenox.contenox-runtime

The extension ID is contenox.contenox-runtime.

Troubleshooting

The extension installs but the runtime does not start. Check that you downloaded the VSIX for the extension host platform. A macOS package cannot run inside a Linux Remote SSH workspace.

The command code or codium is not found. Use the editor UI's Install from VSIX... action, or enable the shell command from your editor's command palette.

I want to see what happened. Run Contenox: Show Output and Contenox: Show Telemetry Log.

The release has no VSIX files yet. Use a release that includes runtime-<target>-<version>.vsix assets. Contenox release CI creates these packages for Linux, macOS, and Windows targets.