getting-started.md

Getting Started

Code Context Notes lets you attach contextual notes to your code without touching your source files. Notes live in a .code-notes/ directory and follow your code even when line numbers change.

Install

VS Code Marketplace

1. Open Extensions (Ctrl+Shift+X / Cmd+Shift+X)
2. Search for Code Context Notes
3. Click Install

Or from the command line:

code --install-extension jnahian.code-context-notes

Open VSX (VS Codium)

Available on the Open VSX Registry for VS Codium and other editors that use it.

Requirements

• VS Code 1.80.0 or higher
• Git (optional — used for author detection; falls back to your system username)

Add your first note

From code:

1. Select the code you want to annotate (or just place the cursor on a line)
2. Press Ctrl+Alt+N (Cmd+Alt+N on Mac)
3. Type your note (markdown supported)
4. Click Save or press Ctrl+Enter

From the sidebar:

1. Click the Code Notes icon in the Activity Bar
2. Click the + button in the sidebar toolbar
3. Type your note and save

A CodeLens indicator appears above your code and the note shows up in the sidebar.

Where notes are stored

Notes are written as one markdown file per note under .code-notes/ at your workspace root:

project/
├── src/app.ts
└── .code-notes/
    ├── abc123-….md          # one file per note
    ├── config.json          # workspace policy (see Trust model)
    ├── INDEX.json           # generated machine index
    └── AGENTS.md            # generated agent digest

Commit .code-notes/ to share notes with your team, or add it to .gitignore to keep them local. See Storage format for the on-disk details and which files to ignore.

Next steps

• Usage guide — adding, editing, viewing, and navigating notes
• Note types & metadata — types, tags, priority, scope, references
• Agents & MCP — give AI coding agents access to your notes
• Trust model — control how agent writes are handled
• Configuration — all settings