Actions
How to use it
Actions are shortcuts for common use cases. For example, you might want to review code, write tests, or add a docstring.
Slash commands
The most common way to invoke an action is with a slash command. These are shortcuts that can be activated by typing '/' in a chat session (press cmd/ctrl + L (VS Code) or cmd/ctrl + J (JetBrains)), and selecting from the dropdown.
In YAML assistants, slash commands are generated from prompts blocks.
Learn more about slash commands here.
Important: For assistants, slash commands only come from prompts blocks. When using older config.json configuration, other slash commands like /share and /cmd are included by default.
Prompt files
It is also possible to write your own slash command by defining a “.prompt file.” Prompt files can be as simple as a text file, but also include templating so that you can refer to files, URLs, highlighted code, and more.
Learn more about prompt files here
Other triggers for Actions (VS Code)
Currently all of these are only available in VS Code
To make common use cases even more accessible, we provide a handful of other ways to invoke actions.
Quick actions
Quick Actions are displayed as buttons above top-level classes and functions in your source code, letting you invoke actions with one click. They can also be customized with .prompt files to perform custom actions.
By default, quick actions are disabled, but can be enabled with the “Continue: Enable Quick Actions” in VS Code settings.
Right click actions
Right click actions let you highlight a desired region of code, right click, and then select an action from the dropdown menu.
Debug action
The debug action is a special built-in keyboard shortcut in the VS Code extension. Use cmd/ctrl + shift + R to instantly copy the contents of the current terminal into the chat sidebar and get debugging advice.
Quick fixes
Whenever you see red/yellow underlines in your code indicating errors, you can place your cursor nearby and VS Code will display a lightbulb icon. Either clicking the lightbulb or using the keyboard shortcut cmd/ctrl + . will show a dropdown menu of quick fixes. One of these will be the “Ask Continue” action. Either click or use cmd/ctrl + . again and Continue will attempt to help solve the problem.
