A VS Code extension that translates non-English code comments into English inline, directly in your editor, using a locally-running Ollama LLM. No data leaves your machine.
Features
- Translates comments from any language into English
- Supports all common comment styles:
//,#,--,%,;,/* */,<!-- --> - Handles full-line comments, inline comments after code, and multi-line block comments
- Displays translations as inline decorations next to the original comment — similar to GitLens blame annotations
- Skips code lines and English comments automatically — only foreign language comments are shown
- Works on the cursor line with no selection required
- Can translate a selection, the entire file, or the entire workspace
Requirements
- Ollama installed and running with at least one model pulled (e.g.
ollama pull gpt-oss:20b) - VS Code 1.85.0 or later
Installation
Install VSTranslate from the VS Code Marketplace, or manually from a .vsix file:
- Download the latest
.vsixfrom the Releases page - Open VS Code and go to the Extensions view (
Ctrl+Shift+X) - Click the
...menu at the top right and select Install from VSIX... - Select the downloaded file
Configuration
VSTranslate can be configured via Settings → Extensions → VSTranslate or directly in settings.json.
| Setting | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
vstranslate.ollamaEndpoint |
http://127.0.0.1:11434 |
Base URL of the Ollama API |
vstranslate.ollamaModel |
gpt-oss:20b |
Ollama model to use for translation |
vstranslate.ollamaApiKey |
(empty) | API key, if your Ollama instance requires one |
vstranslate.ollamaTimeout |
30 |
Request timeout in seconds (-1 for no timeout) |
vstranslate.overlayColor |
#4EC9B0 |
Hex color for the inline translation text |
To quickly switch models, open the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P) and run VSTranslate: Select Ollama Model — this queries your Ollama instance and lets you pick from available models.
Usage
-
Place your cursor on a comment line, or select a block of code containing comments
-
Press
Ctrl+Shift+T(macOS:Cmd+Shift+T), or right-click and choose one of:- Translate Selection to English — shows translations as inline decorations without modifying the file
- Replace Comments with Translation — overwrites the original comment text in place
- Insert Translated Comments — inserts the translation before the original comment text
-
Translations appear inline at the end of each non-English comment line
-
Moving the cursor or changing the selection clears the overlays
-
To clear manually, open the Command Palette (
Ctrl+Shift+P) and run VSTranslate: Clear Translation Overlay
Translating a whole file or workspace
Open the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P) and run:
- VSTranslate: Translate File — translates all comments in the active file; prompts for replace or insert mode, with an Undo notification on completion
- VSTranslate: Translate Workspace — translates all recognized source files in the workspace; shows a cancellable progress bar and an Undo notification on completion
How It Works
When you trigger a translation:
- VSTranslate scans the selected lines (or cursor line) and extracts comment text — full-line comments, inline comments after code, and multi-line block comments
- If a selection partially overlaps a block comment, the range is automatically expanded to include the entire block
- Only comment text is sent to Ollama; code lines are ignored entirely
- Ollama is instructed to return each line unchanged if it is already in English
- Lines returned unchanged are silently dropped — only translated lines get a decoration
- Each translation is displayed as an italic overlay anchored to the end of its source line