Minimal is the best. Highly customizable with extensions and skills — and no lock-in.
Zosma Code is a lightweight VS Code wrapper around Dhara, the open-source agent protocol. Use any LLM, write extensions in any language, and keep full control of your workflow. Select code, press Alt+D, type a prompt, and get results in a new editor tab — no context switching, no proprietary models, no subscription fees.
Features
- Prompt Anything — Ask questions about your codebase, request refactors, generate documentation
- Select & Run — Highlight code in the editor and invoke Zosma Code with
Alt+D— the selected code is automatically included - Any LLM — OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini, Groq, DeepSeek, Mistral, Bedrock, and 20+ more — you choose the provider
- Zero Config — Works out of the box with OpenCode Go (free). Switch providers with a setting
- No Lock-in — This is a thin UI over the Dhara protocol. No proprietary models, no platform dependency
- Fast — Standalone binary, no Electron bloat, no subprocess overhead
Quick Start
- Install the extension from the VS Code Marketplace
- Open a project in VS Code
- Press
Alt+D(or Cmd+Shift+P → "Zosma Code: Run Prompt") - Type your prompt — e.g., "Explain this file" or "What does this function do?"
That's it. Zosma Code will run your prompt against the configured LLM and open the result in a new editor tab.
Running on Selected Code
- Select code in the editor
- Press
Alt+D - Confirm or edit the default prompt ("Review this code")
- Get results — the response opens in a new tab
Configuration
| Setting | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
dhara.binaryPath |
dhara |
Path to the dhara binary |
dhara.provider |
opencode-go |
LLM provider to use |
dhara.model |
— | Model override (e.g., gpt-4o, claude-sonnet-4-20250514) |
Set the corresponding environment variable for your chosen provider:
| Provider | dhara.provider |
Env Variable |
|---|---|---|
| OpenCode Go (free, default) | opencode-go |
— |
| OpenAI | openai |
OPENAI_API_KEY |
| Anthropic | anthropic |
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY |
| Google Gemini | google |
GOOGLE_API_KEY |
| Groq | groq |
GROQ_API_KEY |
| DeepSeek | deepseek |
DEEPSEEK_API_KEY |
| Mistral | mistral |
MISTRAL_API_KEY |
| Amazon Bedrock | amazon-bedrock |
AWS credentials |
| 12+ more | ... | See Dhara providers |
Requirements
- Node.js 20+ — The
dharabinary requires Node.js 20 or later - dhara binary — Included automatically (
npx @zosmaai/dhara), or install globally:npm install -g @zosmaai/dhara
Commands
| Command | Keybinding | Description |
|---|---|---|
Zosma Code: Run Prompt |
— | Open an input box and run a prompt |
Zosma Code: Run on Selected Code |
Alt+D (editor has selection) |
Run a prompt on selected code |
Why Zosma Code?
vs. Claude Code / Cowork
| Zosma Code | Claude Code | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | $0 — you pick your provider | $200/user/month |
| Provider choice | 20+ providers | Anthropic only |
| Lock-in | None — pure protocol | Full Anthropic ecosystem |
| Open-source | ✅ MIT | ❌ Proprietary |
vs. Cursor / Copilot
| Zosma Code | Cursor | |
|---|---|---|
| Agent framework | Full agent loop (plan → tool → execute) | Completions + inline chat |
| Extensions | Any language, JSON-RPC wire protocol | Forked VS Code only |
| Cost | Free + your provider | $20/month |
| Philosophy | Minimal, composable protocol | Monolithic IDE fork |
vs. OpenAI Codex CLI / OpenCode
| Zosma Code | OpenCode | |
|---|---|---|
| Provider flexibility | Any LLM, any API | OpenAI-compatible only |
| Protocol layer | Dhara Agent Protocol (language-agnostic SDKs in TS, Python, Rust) | CLI-only |
| Extensions | JSON-RPC subprocess model | Plugin-based |
| Session persistence | Append-only JSONL, diff, search, export | Basic conversation history |
The Bottom Line
Zosma Code gives you a coding agent that respects your choices — your editor, your LLM provider, your tools, your workflow. It's a thin UI over a protocol, not a platform to lock you into.
Development
git clone https://github.com/zosmaai/dhara
cd dhara/vscode-extension
npm install
code . # Open in VS Code
# Press F5 to launch Extension Development Host
Publishing
npm install -g @vscode/vsce
vsce package # Creates .vsix
vsce publish # Publishes to marketplace
License
MIT © Zosma AI