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AI Codec Documentation

AI Codec is a lightweight, CLI-first tool that brings a structured, reviewable, and reversible workflow to applying LLM-generated code to your projects.

In an era of increasingly complex agentic coding systems, AI Codec embraces a simpler, more direct approach. Interacting with an LLM in a chat window is a powerful and flexible workflow that many developers prefer, but it lacks a safe bridge to the local filesystem. This tool provides that bridge.

It acts as a safe, sane link between your local development environment and the raw power of Large Language Models. Instead of chaotic copy-pasting, you get a formal, git-like review process for AI-driven changes.

The Problem with Manual AI Integration

Integrating LLM suggestions into a project is often a messy, manual process. You face:

  • Unstructured Output: Raw code blocks from a chatbot are hard to parse and apply across multiple files.
  • Tedious Copy-Pasting: Manually transferring code is slow, error-prone, and painful.
  • No Safety Net: There's no clear diff to review before changes hit your file system, and no easy "undo" button if things go wrong.

The AI Codec Solution

AI Codec solves these problems by treating LLM-generated changes as a formal, reviewable patch, much like a pull request.

  • 🤖 Structured Interaction: Enforces a simple JSON schema, turning the LLM's output into a structured set of file operations.
  • 🧐 Safe Review Process: The aicodec apply command launches a web UI with a git-like diffing experience. You see exactly what will change before any files are touched.
  • ✅ Developer in Control: You have the final say. Selectively apply, reject, or even edit the LLM's suggestions live in the diff viewer.
  • ⏪ Atomic & Reversible Changes: The apply and revert commands make applying LLM suggestions a safe transaction that you can undo with a single command.

Who Is This For?

AI Codec is designed for the developer who:

  • Prefers the flexibility of interacting directly with an LLM's web interface (like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, etc.).
  • Wants to avoid the complexity and cost of managing API keys.
  • Needs a structured, safe, and reversible way to apply AI-generated code.

Next Steps

  • 🚀 Ready to start? Jump into the Getting Started guide for a full walkthrough.
  • ⚙️ Want to customize? Learn about all the options in the Configuration reference.