XendCode - Budget-Friendly AI Coding Assistant

The AI coding assistant that won't break the bank 💰

XendCode is a VSCode extension that intelligently manages multiple AI models' free tiers to provide you with a powerful coding assistant at minimal cost. By leveraging free tokens from providers like Google Gemini, grok, OpenAI, Anthropic, and others, XendCode can reduce your AI coding costs by up to 95% compared to paid subscriptions.

🌟 Features

🧙‍♂️ One-Click Setup Wizard (NEW!)

• 90-Second Setup: Get started faster than any competitor
• Auto Browser Integration: One click opens the right API page
• Smart Clipboard Detection: Automatically detects copied API keys
• Instant Validation: Tests keys before saving
• Visual Progress: See your setup completion in real-time
• Priority Guidance: Know which models to add first

Multi-Model Intelligence

• 6+ AI Models: Google Gemini, OpenAI GPT-3.5, Claude Haiku, grok Llama, Cohere, DeepSeek
• Smart Model Selection: Automatically chooses the best model for each task
• Free Tier Optimization: Prioritizes free-tier models to minimize costs

Token Management

• Aggressive Optimization: Reduces token usage by up to 60%
• Context Compression: Smart context selection to maximize relevance
• Usage Tracking: Real-time monitoring of token consumption per model

Cost Transparency

• Live Usage Dashboard: See exactly how much you're spending (or saving!)
• Per-Model Analytics: Track which models you use most
• Savings Calculator: Compare your costs vs. paid subscriptions

Developer Experience

• Chat Interface: Natural conversation with AI
• ⚡ One-Click Code Application: Apply AI suggestions instantly to your code
• Smart Apply Detection: Apply button only shows when making changes, not explanations
• Intelligent Code Matching: Finds and replaces specific functions/methods automatically
• Code Actions: Explain, refactor, fix code with right-click menu
• Diagnostics Integration: AI aware of your current errors
• Context Aware: Understands your workspace and active files
• Strict Prompting: AI knows when to explain vs when to provide code changes

📦 Installation

From VSIX (Recommended)

1. Download the latest .vsix file from releases
2. Open VSCode
3. Go to Extensions (Ctrl+Shift+X)
4. Click ... menu → "Install from VSIX"
5. Select the downloaded file

From Source

git clone https://github.com/yourusername/xendcode.git
cd xendcode
npm install
npm run compile

Then press F5 to open a new VSCode window with the extension loaded.

🔑 Setup & Configuration

⚡ The Easy Way: Setup Wizard (Recommended!)

New in v0.1.1! Our interactive setup wizard makes configuration 75% faster:

1. Install XendCode and open VSCode
2. Wizard opens automatically on first run!
   • Or press Ctrl+Shift+P → "XendCode: Setup Wizard"
3. Click "Get API Key" for each provider
   • Opens the signup page in your browser
   • No searching for URLs!
4. Copy the key from browser
   • Wizard auto-detects from clipboard!
   • Or paste manually
5. Click "Validate & Save"
   • Tests the key instantly
   • ✅ Done in 90 seconds!

📋 The Manual Way: Get Your Free API Keys

If you prefer manual setup, here's how to get free API keys:

Google Gemini (⭐ HIGHLY RECOMMENDED - 100% FREE!)

• Visit: https://makersuite.google.com/app/apikey
• Click "Get API Key"
• Free tier: 60 requests/minute, 1M token context!
• Cost: $0.00/month ✅

grok (Fast & Free)

• Visit: https://console.grok.com
• Sign up and get API key
• Free tier: 30 requests/minute
• Cost: $0.00/month ✅

OpenAI (New Users Get $5 Credit)

• Visit: https://platform.openai.com
• Sign up and get $5 free credits
• ~50,000 tokens with credit
• Cost: $0.00 (then ~$0.002/1k tokens)

Anthropic Claude

• Visit: https://console.anthropic.com
• Get API key
• Claude Haiku is very affordable
• Cost: ~$0.00025/1k tokens

DeepSeek (Cheapest Paid Option)

• Visit: https://platform.deepseek.com
• Best for code-specific tasks
• Cost: ~$0.0001/1k tokens (cheapest!)

Cohere

• Visit: https://dashboard.cohere.com
• Free trial with 100 calls
• Cost: $0.00 trial

2. Configure XendCode

1. Open VSCode Settings (Ctrl+,)
2. Search for "XendCode"
3. Enter your API keys:

{
  "xendcode.models.gemini.apiKey": "your-gemini-key",
  "xendcode.models.grok.apiKey": "your-grok-key",
  "xendcode.models.openai.apiKey": "your-openai-key",
  "xendcode.models.anthropic.apiKey": "your-anthropic-key",
  "xendcode.models.deepseek.apiKey": "your-deepseek-key",
  "xendcode.routing.preferFreeTier": true,
  "xendcode.routing.strategy": "cost-optimized"
}

3. Choose Your Strategy

XendCode offers three routing strategies:

• cost-optimized (Default): Always use cheapest model
• performance-optimized: Use highest quality model
• balanced: Balance cost and quality

🚀 Usage

Open Chat

• Click XendCode icon in sidebar
• Or use command: XendCode: Open Chat

Code Actions

Select code and right-click:

• Explain Code: Get detailed explanations
• Refactor Code: Improve code quality
• Fix Code: Debug and fix issues

View Usage

• Check "Token Usage" panel in sidebar
• Open dashboard: XendCode: Show Usage Dashboard

💡 Smart Model Grounding

XendCode automatically selects the best model for each task:

Task	Recommended Models	Why
Code Completion	Gemini Flash, DeepSeek	Fast, code-optimized
Code Explanation	Claude Haiku, GPT-3.5	Excellent reasoning
Refactoring	Claude Sonnet, DeepSeek	Deep understanding
Bug Fixing	Claude, GPT-4	Complex reasoning
Documentation	Gemini, GPT-3.5	Clear writing
General Chat	Gemini Flash, grok	Fast responses

📊 Real Cost Comparison

Monthly Cost Examples

Heavy Usage (200k tokens/month):

• Cursor Pro: $20/month 💸
• GitHub Copilot: $10/month 💸
• XendCode (Free tiers): $0.00 ✅
• XendCode (Mixed): ~$1.20 ✅

Medium Usage (50k tokens/month):

• Cursor Pro: $20/month 💸
• GitHub Copilot: $10/month 💸
• XendCode (Free only): $0.00 ✅
• XendCode (Mixed): ~$0.10 ✅

Savings: 95-100% compared to paid alternatives! 🎉

⚙️ Advanced Configuration

Token Budget

Control context size to optimize costs:

{
  "xendcode.tokenManagement.maxContextTokens": 8000,
  "xendcode.tokenManagement.aggressiveOptimization": true
}

Rate Limiting

XendCode respects free tier rate limits:

• Gemini: 60 req/min
• grok: 30 req/min
• Cohere: 100 calls/trial

Context Optimization

XendCode intelligently selects context:

• Active file and selection (high priority)
• Diagnostics/errors (high priority)
• Recent files (medium priority)
• Workspace symbols (low priority)

🛠️ Development

Build from Source

npm install
npm run compile

Watch Mode

npm run watch

Package Extension

npm install -g @vscode/vsce
vsce package

🐛 Troubleshooting

"No available model found"

• Ensure you've configured at least one API key
• Check API keys are valid
• Verify network connection

Rate Limit Errors

• XendCode will automatically switch to another model
• Wait a minute if all free tiers are exhausted
• Consider adding more model providers

High Token Usage

• Enable aggressive optimization
• Reduce max context tokens
• Use cost-optimized routing

📈 Roadmap

• Streaming responses
• Custom model configurations
• Team workspace sharing
• Usage predictions and recommendations
• More model providers (Mistral, Together.ai)
• Offline mode with local models
• Browser extension for documentation search

🤝 Contributing

Contributions welcome! Please read CONTRIBUTING.md first.

📄 License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.

🙏 Acknowledgments

Built with these amazing AI providers:

• Google Gemini
• OpenAI
• Anthropic
• grok
• Cohere
• DeepSeek

💬 Support

• GitHub Issues: Report bugs and feature requests
• Discussions: Ask questions and share tips
• Email: saicharan@xendworks.com

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Created by Saicharan Govindaraj

Made with ❤️ for developers who love AI but hate subscription fees

XendCode: Smart AI coding assistance, sensible costs.