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Agent Context VS Code extension lets AI coding tools access external reference projects via symlinks without copying code into repos

Hacker News · April 27, 2026

Agent Context VS Code extension lets AI coding tools access external reference projects via symlinks without copying code into repos

AI Summary

  • Agent Context is a VS Code extension that attaches external folders as live references to your workspace using symlinks, keeping your repository clean while making reference code available to AI tools like GitHub Copilot, Cursor, and ChatGPT.
  • When you attach a folder, the extension creates a symlink (default location: .examples/), stores metadata in .symlinks.json, updates .gitignore automatically, and optionally generates an instructions file that lists available reference projects and their purposes for both human developers and AI tools.
  • The extension includes an Activity Bar sidebar for managing attached contexts, with actions to add folders from anywhere on disk, remove them safely, edit descriptions, and reveal original folders; configuration options allow customizing the target folder name and instructions file.
  • Installation is available via VS Code Extensions search for 'Agent Context' or by installing the .vsix file directly; the project requires Node.js, npm, and VS Code 1.85 or later.

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