Welcome to the ThoughtTap documentation! Here you'll find everything you need to get started with prompt optimization and advanced AI features.
What is ThoughtTap?
ThoughtTap is an AI-powered VS Code extension that transforms your simple prompts into powerful, effective instructions for AI models. It automatically analyzes your project context, applies optimization rules, and helps you get better results from any LLM.
From individual developers to enterprise teams, ThoughtTap saves hours of engineering time by streamlining prompt engineering and ensuring consistency across your AI interactions.
Key Benefits
Instant Optimization
Transform prompts in seconds with 24 AI-driven optimization rules
Privacy First
All processing happens locally - your code never leaves your machine
Analytics
Track optimization patterns and measure improvements over time
Multi-Model Support
Works seamlessly with any AI provider - OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, and more
Getting Started
Installation
- Open VS Code and go to Extensions (Cmd+Shift+X / Ctrl+Shift+X)
- Search for "ThoughtTap"
- Click Install
- You're ready to optimize!
Quick Start
Select your prompt and press:
Cmd+Shift+O (Mac)Ctrl+Shift+O (Windows/Linux)Core Features
Context Auto-Detection
ThoughtTap automatically analyzes your project structure and codebase to understand context. This enables intelligent optimization that's aware of your specific development environment.
Security & Privacy Check
Scans prompts for sensitive information and enforces privacy policies. All processing happens locally with no data sent to external servers.
Token Budget Analysis
Optimizes your prompts while respecting token limits. Pre-flight token counting and cost estimation help you make informed decisions.
24 Optimization Rules
Automatically applies proven techniques including:
- Clarity and specificity enhancement
- Structure optimization
- Context enrichment
- Role definition
- Output format specification
- And 19 more proven techniques
Guides
Best Practices
- Write clear, specific prompts for better optimization
- Review optimization suggestions before applying them
- Use analytics to track what works best for your workflows
- Leverage safe mode for sensitive or critical operations
Configuration
Customize ThoughtTap settings in VS Code preferences:
{
"thoughttap.optimizationLevel": "balanced",
"thoughttap.autoFormat": true,
"thoughttap.privacyMode": true,
"thoughttap.tokenBudget": 4000
}Examples
Before Optimization
Write code to build a web appAfter Optimization
Build a modern, responsive web application using React and Tailwind CSS.
The app should include:
- Clean, maintainable code structure
- TypeScript for type safety
- Mobile-first responsive design
- Accessibility best practices
- Error handling and validation
Provide the complete implementation with:
1. Project structure and setup instructions
2. Component architecture
3. Styling approach
4. Deployment considerationsHelp & Support
Frequently Asked Questions
- Q: Is my code private? A: Yes, all processing happens locally on your machine.
- Q: Which AI providers are supported? A: All major providers - OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, and more.
- Q: Can I customize the optimization rules? A: Yes, through the settings panel.
- Q: Is there a free version? A: Yes, with core features available for free.