The assistant
AI file tools
The assistant · 2 min read
The assistant reads, edits and runs commands directly in your open project. What it does lands in your real files as it works, and every turn can be undone.
When you would want it
Isolation kept edits safe but made simple work feel missing: proposals sat in a sandbox queue instead of reaching the folder. Direct edits deliver real results the moment the turn finishes.
Where to find it
- All Features → AI file tools
- Turn on or off
- Settings
What you get out of it
- Done means done in your folder - no review queue between the assistant and the result.
- The assistant verifies its own work by running your tests instead of claiming they pass.
- Unsaved work is still protected: edits wait until you save rather than overwriting buffers.
How to use it, step by step
- On by default - the assistant edits your project directly, and results land in your real files the moment the turn finishes.
- Ask it to build, fix, create or change files; the Explorer refreshes to show what changed.
- Reads never change anything. Unsaved files pause file edits until you save, and destructive shell commands stay blocked.
- Opening any older task shows it as a popup in the chat with files and grouped activity: Cancel stops running work, Delete removes a finished task completely, Roll back undoes an applied one.
- Long tool runs fold each call and its result into one row with a Show-all expander, in the popup and the chat history. Show AI Tasks in the command palette lists every task.
- Turn the feature off to keep chat while disabling all file tools.
Why this beats the usual way
Editing through an isolated sandbox means every change waits in a queue before it becomes true. Direct edits with a save-guard deliver the result immediately - and unlike assistants that can only read and write, this one can search by pattern, outline symbols, run commands, and fetch docs in the project itself.
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AI file tools · The assistant