OuterBot Documentation

OuterBot is a VS Code extension and AI chat assistant built so you never lose context. It watches everything in your project — file saves, git operations, decisions — and maintains a living briefing so your AI always knows where things stand.

Quick Start

Get up and running with OuterBot in under 5 minutes.

1. Install the extension — Install from the VS Code Marketplace, or search OuterBot in the Extensions panel.
2. Create an account — Sign up at outer.bot/signup. Free Community plan, no credit card required.
3. Sign in to the extension — Click the OuterBot icon in the Activity Bar, then sign in with your account.
4. Open your project folder — OuterBot starts watching automatically. A living briefing appears at .outerbot/briefing.md.
5. Start chatting — Use the chat sidebar or Ctrl+Alt+O to open the AI assistant. No API key needed — AI credits are included on all plans.

Plans

OuterBot has two plans. Community is free forever. Pro adds managed AI with credits at cost — no markup, credits roll over forever.

Community (Free)

• Full VS Code extension
• Guardian context tracking & living briefing
• Cross-project memory
• 10 AI messages/day included — no API key required
• Claude Haiku model (fast, efficient)
• 1 project

Pro ($15/month or $150/year)

• Everything in Community
• Unlimited AI credits at our cost — zero markup, credits never expire
• All AI models — Claude Sonnet/Opus (Anthropic), GPT-4o (OpenAI), open source (Llama, Mistral, and more)
• No API key required — or bring your own (optional)
• Briefing sync — Guardian context synced to cloud
• Mobile chat — full AI chat from any phone or tablet
• Web IDE at ide.outer.bot
• Team collaboration — $8/mo per additional member
• Smart Routing — auto-route simple replies to a faster model
• Priority email support

See full pricing details →

Web IDE Pro

The OuterBot Web IDE is a full browser-based development environment available to Pro members. No installation required — code from any desktop browser. Open the Web IDE →

Features

• Monaco Editor — The same editor that powers VS Code, with syntax highlighting, IntelliSense, and keyboard shortcuts
• AI Chat Panel — Full agent chat with tool use, file editing, and live file preview as the agent works
• Plan Before Acting — Agent describes its plan and waits for approval before making changes. Same confirm/trust setting as the VS Code extension.
• Stop Button — Interrupt the agent mid-task at any time.
• Model Picker — Switch between Anthropic, OpenAI, and open-source models directly in the chat composer.
• ⚡ Model Badges — Each completed message shows which model was used.
• GitHub PR Workflow — Pull requests are automatically created after agent turns that change files.
• File Explorer — Browse your project's file tree, open files, and navigate your codebase
• Git Panel — View changed files, commit, push, and pull without leaving the IDE
• Project Selector — Switch between projects instantly from the header dropdown
• Learning + Live Edit Modes — Optional visual modes for onboarding and transparent change review

AI Chat

The OuterBot Panel includes an AI chat tab built for reliable coding workflows. You can:

• Ask questions about your codebase
• Get code explanations and suggestions
• Generate new code or refactor existing code
• Debug errors with AI assistance
• Watch deterministic progress states: thinking, tool use, and apply phases

GitHub Integration in the IDE

When you open a GitHub-linked project in the Web IDE:

1. The repository is cloned to the server automatically
2. The file tree loads from your actual repo files
3. You edit files in the Monaco editor
4. Use the Git Panel tab to commit and push changes back to GitHub

You can also create new GitHub repositories directly from the project selector dropdown in the IDE header.

Mobile Chat Pro

Pro members can chat with the AI from any phone or tablet — no app install required. Just open outer.bot/account in your mobile browser and tap Chat.

Features

• Guardian context pre-loaded — The living briefing from your VS Code project is automatically synced to the server and injected into every mobile chat session. The AI knows your project before you type the first message.
• Project switcher — Pick any of your OuterBot projects from the dropdown in the chat header. Context updates instantly.
• Persistent history — Conversation history is saved in your browser. Close the chat, come back later — it's still there (up to 24 hours).
• Session resume — If the AI server is still running your session, the conversation thread resumes where you left off.
• Full-screen overlay — Chat opens as a full-viewport panel so there's no wasted space on small screens.

How to use

1. Open outer.bot/account on your phone and sign in.
2. Tap Chat in the account menu — the chat modal opens immediately.
3. Select your project from the dropdown at the top of the chat.
4. Start chatting. The AI has your Guardian briefing already.

AI Credits & Models

OuterBot includes AI credits on every plan. No API key setup required — just sign up and start chatting.

Community — 10 Messages/Day

Community members get 10 AI messages per day included at no cost. Uses Claude Haiku via OuterBot's managed platform key. Resets at midnight UTC. No API key or credit card required.

Pro — Unlimited Credits at Cost

Pro members get unlimited AI credits charged at exactly what we pay — zero markup, ever. Credits never expire. All models available: Claude Sonnet/Opus (Anthropic), GPT-4o (OpenAI), and open source models (Llama, Mistral, and more via Groq).

Bring Your Own Key (Pro, Optional)

Pro members can optionally add their own Anthropic or OpenAI API key. When your own key is set, AI calls use it directly and don't consume OuterBot credits.

1. Go to your OuterBot Account Settings
2. Under AI Settings, paste your API key and choose your preferred model
3. Click Save — your key is encrypted with AES-256-CBC before storage

GitHub Connection

Connect your GitHub account to import repositories and push code.

Connecting GitHub

1. Go to Account Settings
2. In the "GitHub Integration" section, click "Connect GitHub"
3. Authorize OuterBot on GitHub (scopes: repo, read:user)
4. You'll be redirected back with your GitHub username shown

What You Can Do

• Import repos — Select from your GitHub repositories to add as OuterBot projects
• Create repos — Create new public or private repos directly from OuterBot
• Clone & edit — Open projects in the Web IDE to browse and edit files
• Commit & push — Save your work back to GitHub from the Git Panel

Project Management

Your account dashboard at outer.bot/account shows all your projects with health scores, technology tags, and quick actions.

• Import from GitHub — Import existing repos as projects
• Create new — Create a fresh GitHub repository
• Open in IDE — Launch any project in the Web IDE
• Sync from CLI/VS Code — Projects created locally sync to your dashboard automatically

VS Code Extension

OuterBot for VS Code is the primary product — install it free and it starts watching immediately.

Installation

1. Install from the VS Code Marketplace, or search OuterBot in the Extensions panel
2. Restart VS Code (required for Activity Bar icon and title bar button)
3. Click the OuterBot icon or press Ctrl+Alt+O

Features

• AI Chat Sidebar — Chat with any supported AI model directly in VS Code. Session history, image support, context preserved between sessions.
• Guardian System — ActiveWatcher tracks all file saves, git operations, and terminal output. Maintains a living .outerbot/briefing.md.
• Plan Before Acting — OuterBot describes its plan and asks for approval before writing or changing files. Toggle in Account Settings.
• Stop Button — Interrupt the agent mid-task at any time. Changes stop immediately.
• Smart Routing — Simple replies auto-route to a faster model. Each message shows which model was used with a ⚡ badge.
• GitHub PR Workflow — After each agent turn that changes files, a pull request is automatically created or updated on GitHub.
• Cross-Project Memory — Decisions and patterns from one project surface when relevant in others.
• Account Sync — Projects sync to your online dashboard automatically.
• GUI Login — Sign in with your OuterBot account directly in VS Code.

Commands

OuterBot: Open Chat Panel     # Open AI chat (Ctrl+Alt+O)
OuterBot: Sign In             # Open login panel
OuterBot: Sign Out            # Sign out of account
OuterBot: Sync Now            # Force sync projects
OuterBot: Open Account        # Open dashboard in browser

Plan Before Acting

When enabled, OuterBot describes its full plan before writing or changing any file, and waits for your approval. This is the default for all new accounts.

• The agent ends its plan message with "Shall I proceed?"
• Proceed ✓ and Cancel ✗ buttons appear in the chat UI
• Click Proceed → the agent executes. Click Cancel → the agent stops.
• Simple questions and clarifications get answered directly, without a plan step.

To disable (trust mode), go to Account Settings → Settings → Plan before acting and uncheck the toggle.

CLI Installation

The OuterBot CLI provides project analysis, session tracking, and conversation memory from the command line.

npm install -g outerbot

Initialize a Project

cd your-project
outerbot init

Account Login

outerbot login
# Enter your email and password

CLI Commands

Project Management

outerbot init                    # Initialize project
outerbot status                  # Show project health & metrics
outerbot features                # List discovered features
outerbot suggest                 # Get AI improvement suggestions
outerbot analyze <file>          # Analyze a specific file

Account

outerbot login                   # Sign in to your account
outerbot sync                    # Sync project to dashboard

Conversation Memory

OuterBot captures and remembers coding conversations across all projects. Never lose track of how you built something.

How It Works

• Automatic capture — Hooks record conversations in real-time
• AI summarization — Progressive summarization reduces storage while preserving context
• Cross-project search — Find features built months ago in any project
• Context export — Load full context into new chat sessions

CLI Commands

outerbot memory search "query"   # Search across all projects
outerbot memory recent           # View recent conversations
outerbot memory export "topic"   # Export context for loading

Chat Shortcuts

/memory-search "query"           # Search conversations
/memory-recent                   # View recent work
/memory-record                   # Record current conversation
/session-start                   # Start session tracking
/session-record                  # Record session work

Session Tracking

Track your coding sessions to maintain continuity across work periods.

outerbot session start           # Start a new session
outerbot session record          # Record what you're working on
outerbot session history         # View past sessions
outerbot session end             # End and save the session

Sessions capture what you worked on, decisions made, and files changed — so future AI conversations can pick up exactly where you left off.