I built 3 AI-powered VS Code extensions as a beginner — here's everything I learned

Rev. Brian O'keefe — Tue, 14 Apr 2026 00:04:51 +0000

Building a VS Code extension seemed intimidating until I actually did it. Turns out the hardest part is knowing where to start — not the code itself.

I wrote a guide covering everything from scratch: how the Extension Host works, how to read selected text from the editor, how to call the OpenAI API securely, and how to publish to the Marketplace.
By the end you'll have built three working extensions: an AI Code Explainer, an AI Code Generator, and an AI Chat Sidebar.
If you've ever wanted to build your own VS Code tool →

samueltruepenny.gumroad.com

I Build Things That Actually Work

Rev. Brian O'keefe — Tue, 14 Apr 2026 00:03:13 +0000

I’m not here to write theory.

I build things.

Websites. Systems. Tools. Things that people can actually use.

Some of it is clean. Some of it breaks. Most of it gets rebuilt until it works the way it should.

That’s the point.

What I Do

I work across a few areas:

Web development (mostly Rails and WordPress)
Design and layout systems
Writing and documentation
Building small tools that solve real problems

Not “perfect” systems.
Not “scalable to millions” on day one.

Just things that work.

Why I’m Here

A while back, my life got forced into slow motion.

That changes how you build.

You stop chasing complexity.
You stop pretending speed equals progress.
You start caring about whether something actually holds together.

So that’s what I focus on now:

Clear systems
Simple builds
Repeatable work
Things that don’t fall apart
What You’ll See Here

I’ll be posting things like:

Real builds (not polished tutorials)
Problems I run into—and how I fix them
Systems I use to keep projects moving
Ways to simplify messy setups
Honest breakdowns of what works and what doesn’t

If something fails, I’ll say it failed.

If something works, I’ll show you why.

No Fluff

There’s enough noise already.

This isn’t going to be:

“10 tips to become a better developer”
recycled content
or anything written just to fill space

If it’s here, it’s because it mattered enough to write down.

If You’re Building Too

Stick around.

You don’t need perfect systems.
You need systems that survive contact with reality.

That’s what I’m working on.

DEV Community: Rev. Brian O'keefe

I built 3 AI-powered VS Code extensions as a beginner — here's everything I learned

I Build Things That Actually Work