Docu - AI Documentation Assistant

A VS Code extension that provides AI-powered documentation assistance through GitHub Copilot Chat. Docu helps you create, manage, and evolve high-quality software documentation using specialized AI agents and guided workflows — from initial product ideas through to detailed technical specifications.

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Features

• Six Specialized AI Agents — Each agent is tailored for a specific documentation phase: PRD, brainstorming, requirements, architecture, specification, and quality review
• Smart Templates — Built-in and fully customizable templates for every document type
• Guided Workflow — Structured progression from concept (PRD) through requirements, design, and implementation
• Slash Commands — Powerful command system (/new, /agent, /templates, /review, /update) for quick document operations
• Natural-Language Sessions — Start iterative document workflows with plain text; no slash commands required
• Security and Privacy — Workspace isolation, path validation, and input sanitization on all operations
• Offline Support — Graceful degradation when AI features are unavailable

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Quick Start

Prerequisites

• VS Code 1.97.0 or higher
• GitHub Copilot (with Chat) — active subscription required

Installation

Install from the .vsix file or build from source:

git clone https://github.com/rodhayl/specItGithubCopilot.git
cd specItGithubCopilot
npm install
npm run compile

Then in VS Code: Extensions -> ... -> Install from VSIX -> select the built .vsix file.

See docs/installation.md for full details.

First Steps

1. Open GitHub Copilot Chat (Ctrl+Shift+I / Cmd+Shift+I)
2. Type @docu to start interacting with the assistant
3. Create your first document:

@docu /new "My Product Requirements" --template prd

Or just describe what you want to build in plain language:

@docu I want to build a task management app with real-time collaboration

Docu will classify the intent, assign the right specialist agent, create an initial draft on disk (e.g. docs/prd/task-management-app.md), open the file, and ask a focused follow-up question to continue refining the document naturally.

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Core Concepts

AI Agents

Six specialized agents cover the full documentation lifecycle:

Agent	Phase	Purpose
PRD Creator	PRD	Initial product concept and PRD generation
Brainstormer	PRD	Ideation and concept expansion
Requirements Gatherer	Requirements	Systematic requirements collection (EARS format)
Solution Architect	Design	Technical architecture and system design
Specification Writer	Implementation	Detailed technical specifications
Quality Reviewer	Implementation	Document validation and quality assurance

Workflow Phases

1. PRD Phase — Product concept and strategic goals
2. Requirements Phase — Detailed business and functional requirements
3. Design Phase — Technical architecture and solution decisions
4. Implementation Phase — Specifications, tasks, and quality review

Document Folders

By default, documents are organized under:

docs/
  prd/          <- PRD Creator, Brainstormer
  requirements/ <- Requirements Gatherer
  design/       <- Solution Architect
  spec/         <- Specification Writer
  ideas/        <- Brainstorming sessions

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Usage Guide

Natural-Language Sessions (Recommended)

Start a full iterative workflow with plain text — no slash command needed:

@docu I need to plan a REST API for a mobile banking app

Docu will:

1. Classify the request and assign the appropriate agent
2. Create an initial draft file on disk
3. Open the file in the editor
4. Ask one focused follow-up question per turn
5. Update the file with each response

Close the session with done, finish, or /done.

Slash Commands

Create Documents

# New document with default template
@docu /new "Document Title"

# With a specific template
@docu /new "API Docs" --template basic

# With a custom path
@docu /new "User Guide" --path docs/guides/user-guide.md

Manage Agents

# List all available agents
@docu /agent list

# Switch to a specific agent
@docu /agent set requirements-gatherer

# Show the active agent
@docu /agent current

Manage Templates

# List all templates
@docu /templates list

# Show template details
@docu /templates show prd

# Validate a template
@docu /templates validate my-template

Update Documents

# Update a specific section
@docu /update --file docs/requirements.md --section "Scope" "Updated scope text"

# Append to a section
@docu /update --file docs/api.md --section "Authentication" --mode append "New auth notes"

Review Documents

# Standard review
@docu /review --file docs/requirements.md

# Strict review with automatic fixes
@docu /review --file docs/design.md --level strict --fix

Full Workflow Example

# 1. Start with a PRD
@docu /agent set prd-creator
@docu /new "Mobile App PRD" --template prd

# 2. Brainstorm ideas
@docu /agent set brainstormer

# 3. Gather requirements
@docu /agent set requirements-gatherer
@docu /new "Mobile App Requirements" --template requirements

# 4. Design the solution
@docu /agent set solution-architect
@docu /new "Mobile App Architecture"

# 5. Write specifications
@docu /agent set specification-writer
@docu /new "Mobile App Tasks"

# 6. Quality review
@docu /agent set quality-reviewer
@docu /review --file docs/requirements/mobile-app-requirements.md --level strict

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Configuration

Configure Docu via VS Code Settings (Ctrl+, -> search "docu"):

Setting	Default	Description
docu.defaultDirectory	docs	Default directory for new documents
docu.defaultAgent	prd-creator	Default agent on startup
docu.templateDirectory	.vscode/docu/templates	Custom templates location
docu.autoSaveDocuments	true	Auto-save created/updated documents
docu.showWorkflowProgress	true	Show phase transitions in chat
docu.logging.level	info	Log level (debug/info/warn/error/none)
docu.telemetry.enabled	true	Enable anonymous telemetry
docu.debug.autoStart	false	Auto-start local debug HTTP server

Custom Templates

Create YAML-frontmatter templates in .vscode/docu/templates/:

---
id: my-template
name: My Custom Template
description: Template for my use case
variables:
  - name: title
    description: Document title
    required: true
    type: string
  - name: author
    required: false
    type: string
    defaultValue: Unknown
agentRestrictions:
  - requirements-gatherer
---

# {{title}}

**Author:** {{author}}
**Created:** {{currentDate}}

## Overview

{{overview}}

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Development

Setup

git clone https://github.com/rodhayl/specItGithubCopilot.git
cd specItGithubCopilot
npm install
npm run compile

Press F5 in VS Code to launch the Extension Development Host.

Repository Structure

specItGithubCopilot/
|- src/             # TypeScript source code
|  |- agents/       # AI agent implementations (6 agents)
|  |- commands/     # Slash command handlers
|  |- config/       # Configuration management
|  |- conversation/ # Conversation state and flow
|  |- debugging/    # Debug server (localhost only)
|  |- llm/          # Language model integration
|  |- templates/    # Template engine
|  `- tools/        # Tool implementations
|- tests/           # Jest test suite (unit + integration + e2e)
|- docs/            # Documentation
|- examples/        # Example projects and workflows
`- scripts/         # Build helper scripts

Scripts

npm run compile        # TypeScript compilation
npm test               # Run test suite
npm run test:coverage  # Coverage report
npm run lint           # Type checking
npm run package        # Build VSIX

Testing

See docs/testing.md for the full testing guide and MANUAL_TEST.md for manual verification steps.

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Advanced Features

Security

• Workspace Isolation — All file operations restricted to the current workspace
• Path Validation — Prevents directory traversal attacks
• Input Sanitization — Cleans potentially malicious content from all inputs
• Data Anonymization — Telemetry data anonymized by default

Offline Mode

When GitHub Copilot is unavailable, Docu provides:

• Basic file operations and template processing
• Document structure management
• Automatic detection and graceful fallback

Diagnostics

Via the Command Palette:

• Docu: Show Diagnostics — System diagnostics panel
• Docu: Export Diagnostics — Export diagnostic report as JSON
• Docu: Show Output Channel — Extension logs
• Docu: Toggle Debug Mode — Enable/disable verbose logging

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Contributing

See CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines.

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License

MIT — Copyright (c) 2026 rodhayl