Write, test, version, and deploy AI prompts with the tools you already know.
PromptTide transforms VS Code into a full prompt engineering IDE with syntax highlighting, IntelliSense, quality scoring, and one-click execution.
Features
.prompt File Format
A dedicated file format for AI prompts with YAML frontmatter for configuration:
---
model: gpt-4o
temperature: 0.7
tags: [marketing, email]
variables:
brand: { type: string, required: true }
---
You are a copywriter for {{brand}}.
Write a welcome email...
Syntax Highlighting
- Template variables
{{variable}}highlighted with neon glow - YAML frontmatter with key/value coloring
- Role markers (SYSTEM:, USER:, ASSISTANT:)
- Markdown-like formatting in prompt body
IntelliSense & Completions
- Autocomplete for model names, frontmatter keys, variables
- Variable suggestions when typing
{{ - Role marker completions
- Snippets for common patterns (
prompt,cot,fewshot,constraints)
CodeLens Actions
Click inline buttons above your prompt:
- ▶ Run — Execute with default model (Cmd+Enter)
- ▶ Run with... — Pick a model (Cmd+Shift+Enter)
- 🔥 Forge — AI-powered improvement
- 🌿 Branch — Create variant
- ☁️ Push — Sync to PromptTide cloud
Real-Time Diagnostics
- Undeclared variables (used but not in frontmatter)
- Unused variables (declared but never referenced)
- Token count warnings
- Invalid model names
- Temperature out of range
Status Bar
- Connection indicator (logged in/out)
- Model selector (click to switch)
- Quality score
- Credits remaining
Cloud Sync
- Push local
.promptfiles to PromptTide cloud - Pull cloud prompts as local
.promptfiles - Works with the PromptTide CLI for CI/CD integration
Keyboard Shortcuts
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
Cmd+Enter |
Run current prompt |
Cmd+Shift+Enter |
Run with model picker |
Cmd+Shift+F |
Forge improve |
Cmd+Alt+N |
New prompt file |
Cmd+Shift+U |
Push to cloud |
Cmd+Shift+M |
Switch model |
Getting Started
- Install the extension
- Create a
.promptfile (or useCmd+Alt+N) - Write your prompt with frontmatter
- Press
Cmd+Enterto execute - Login to sync with PromptTide cloud
File Association
The extension automatically associates these file extensions:
.prompt— Primary prompt files.prompt.md— Prompt files with markdown preview support.ptide— Short alias
Configuration
| Setting | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
prompttide.apiUrl |
https://api.prompttide.space/api/v1 |
API endpoint |
prompttide.defaultModel |
gpt-4o |
Default execution model |
prompttide.autoScore |
true |
Auto-score quality on save |
prompttide.showInlineHints |
true |
Show variable hints |
prompttide.maxTokenWarning |
4096 |
Token count warning threshold |
Requirements
- VS Code 1.85+
- PromptTide account (free tier available)
- Internet connection for execution & cloud sync