FreeAI IDE is an open, local-first coding assistant that runs inside the editor instead of depending on scraped web UIs or hidden automation.
The first milestone is a VS Code extension. It gives developers an AI chat sidebar, bounded workspace context, secure file tools, code search, patch proposals, and user-approved edits.
The long-term direction is a standalone Code - OSS fork with FreeAI built in, local Ollama as the default provider, and optional bring-your-own-key cloud providers.
| Principle | What it means |
|---|---|
| Local-first by default | Ollama is the default provider. Cloud APIs are optional. |
| User-controlled edits | The agent proposes patches. The user approves before anything changes. |
| Workspace-bound access | Tools accept workspace-relative paths and block traversal. |
| Sensitive files protected | .env, keys, credentials, and secret files are blocked by default. |
| No AI web UI automation | No scraping ChatGPT, Claude, DeepSeek, or other web interfaces. |
| No hidden telemetry | No tracking unless explicitly added and documented. |
| Repository | Purpose |
|---|---|
FreeAIIDE/FreeAIIDE |
Main VS Code extension source code. |
FreeAIIDE/FreeAIIDE.github.io |
Public website hosted on GitHub Pages. |
FreeAIIDE/.github |
Organization profile and shared GitHub metadata. |
UI Layer
Chat sidebar, streaming renderer, diff approval UI
Agent Layer
Agent loop, system prompts, JSON tool-call parser, tool-call budget
Context Layer
Active file, selection, nearby code, diagnostics, workspace metadata
Tool Layer
list_files, read_file, search_code, propose_edit, apply_edit
Provider Layer
Ollama provider, OpenAI-compatible provider, provider factory
Security Layer
Workspace path validation, sensitive file blocking, approval gates
Configuration Layer
VS Code settings, SecretStorage, commands
The MVP tool layer is intentionally small:
list_filesinspects safe workspace structure.read_filereads bounded, non-sensitive text files.search_codereturns path, line, and preview matches.propose_editcreates a pending patch proposal.apply_editapplies only after user approval.
git clone https://github.com/FreeAIIDE/FreeAIIDE.git
cd FreeAIIDE
npm install
npm run compileRun a local model:
brew install ollama
ollama serve
ollama pull qwen2.5-coder:7bPackage the extension:
npm run package- Extension scaffold
- Chat sidebar
- Ollama streaming provider
- Workspace context manager
- Secure tools
- Agent loop with JSON tool calls
- Patch proposal and approval workflow
- OpenAI-compatible BYOK provider foundation
- Security test suite
- Cloud context warning UX
- Inline completion
- Code - OSS fork integration plan
The project website is live at:
It explains the product direction, local-first model, security boundaries, quick start, and roadmap.
FreeAI IDE is still early. Contributions should keep the same safety posture:
- no hardcoded API keys
- no terminal execution without explicit approval
- no reading outside the workspace
- no broad repository upload to cloud models
- no silent edits
- no AI website automation
Start with the main repository:
