There's a pattern I've noticed with every new AI coding tool that comes out: they all want you to switch editors. Or open a new terminal. Or context-switch into some standalone app.
I DON'T WANT TO DO THAT
My entire dev workflow lives in VS Code. My keybindings, my split panes, my snippets, my extensions — all of it. When Google released the Antigravity CLI (agy), an agentic coding assistant, I genuinely liked what it could do. But to use it properly, I had to live in a terminal window, manually managing sessions, typing slash commands from memory, and losing my editor context entirely.
So I built a VS Code extension for it instead.
What is Antigravity?
Google Antigravity is Google's agentic coding CLI — think of it as a Gemini-powered dev assistant that can read your project, run tools, execute terminal commands, and help you build. It's the kind of tool that can handle complex multi-step tasks, not just autocomplete.
The CLI is called agy, and it's genuinely capable. The problem was the workflow: terminal-first, session management by hand, and no visual layer over the context you're already in.
The Extension: Antigravity for VS Code
Install it on the VS Code Marketplace
Source on GitHub
The core idea is simple: the extension is a UI layer. It never bundles or replaces the agy binary — it shells out to whichever version you have installed locally. Same philosophy as the Claude Code VS Code extension: the editor provides the surface, the CLI does the work.
Here's what it actually does:
Sessions List
The sidebar panel opens to all your saved sessions. You can open an existing one, delete it, or start fresh. New sessions can be launched in sandboxed mode or with permissions bypassed — accessible right from the "New Session" overflow menu, without memorizing CLI flags.
Any session with an active turn shows a loading indicator in its row, so you always know what's in flight.
Chat Panel (Material 3 Expressive)
This is the main surface. Each session runs its own live, interactive agy process — so follow-up messages carry full context, exactly as if you were in a dedicated terminal. The UI streams replies in as they arrive.
The send button turns into an orange stop button while a turn is running (it sends esc to the underlying process), so you can bail out of long-running tasks without nuking the session.
Terminal Mirror
This was the feature I wanted most. The title-bar terminal button toggles a VS Code terminal that mirrors the exact same live agy process running behind the chat panel. The process normally runs hidden, but when you want to watch it work — or steer it manually — one click surfaces it. Click again to close it. No duplicate process, no forking state.
Slash-Command Navigator
Antigravity has 35 real slash commands: /goal, /diff, /model, /permissions, /rewind, /mcp, and more. Type / in the composer and a navigator appears with autocomplete — arrow keys to move, Enter or Tab to pick. The catalog is pulled from the live CLI, so it always matches what your installed version of agy actually supports.
A handful of commands (/clear, /help, /logout, /changelog) are handled natively. Everything else is forwarded directly to the live session.
Ask About Selection
Select any code in your editor and run Ask About Selection (Ctrl/Cmd + Alt + K). The highlighted text gets sent to the active session with file name and line number context attached. No copy-pasting.
Sign-In Gate
If agy isn't installed or you're not signed in yet, the panel shows just a Sign in with Google button and an Install CLI action. The chat surface only appears once you're authenticated. Sign-out runs /logout in the session.
CLI Lifecycle
Install, update, view the changelog, and manage plugins — all from the command palette or the panel's overflow menu.
Getting Started
Requirements: VS Code 1.90+, and the Antigravity CLI installed and signed in.
# Install the CLI (macOS/Linux)
curl -fsSL https://antigravity.google/cli/install.sh | bash
# Windows (PowerShell)
irm https://antigravity.google/cli/install.ps1 | iex
Then install the extension from the VS Code Marketplace, open the Antigravity panel (rocket icon or Ctrl/Cmd + Alt + A), and sign in with Google.
Why I Built This
Honestly, the reason is just stubbornness about workflow context. I don't want to leave VS Code just to use another tool.
The extension I most directly took inspiration from is the unofficial Claude Code extension for VS Code — same architecture idea, same conviction that the CLI should be authoritative while the editor provides a better UX layer. It's a pattern that makes sense for any powerful CLI tool.
Disclaimer: This is an unofficial community extension, not affiliated with or endorsed by Google. "Antigravity" and "Gemini" are trademarks of Google LLC.
What's Next
I'm planning to improve streaming fidelity, add a richer diff/file-change display for when agy modifies files, and explore tighter workspace context injection. If you try it out and run into issues or have ideas, issues and PRs are open on the GitHub repo.
If you're a VS Code-first developer using (or curious about) Antigravity, give it a shot. It's free, it's open source (MIT), and it doesn't change how agy works at all — it just surfaces it where you already live.
