I built a desktop app that explains code, because I got tired of tabbing to ChatGPT every 5 minutes

Siri Tech — Sat, 02 May 2026 15:09:00 +0000

You know that feeling when you open a file with 300 lines of code you didn't write and just… stare at it?
That was me. Every time. Copying chunks into a browser tab, losing context, starting over. So I built something to fix it.
CodeLens is a desktop app that takes any code you paste in and explains it. Sounds simple. But the part that actually makes it useful is that you choose how you want it explained.
6 modes:

Overview — just tell me what this thing does. No fluff.

Beginner — break it down like I've never seen this before. Use plain words. Use analogies. Don't assume I know what a closure is.

Line-by-Line — go through it piece by piece. I want to know what every line is doing and why.

Advanced — I know what the code does. I want the deeper take. Big-O, design patterns, what's inefficient and why.

Security Audit — read this code like an attacker would. What's vulnerable? What's a bad habit? Tell me exactly what to fix.

Refactor — what would a better version of this look like? Where's the duplication, the bloat, the things that'll hurt me in 6 months?

There's also a follow-up chat underneath the explanation. It knows your code and what it just told you, so you can ask things like "wait, why is a dictionary used here instead of a list?" without copy-pasting anything again.

One more thing, it supports Gemini, Claude, and OpenAI. Whatever API key you already have, it works. Gemini has a free tier so you can use it without spending anything.

GitHub link in the comments. Would genuinely love feedback on what's missing or should be added.

DEV Community: Siri Tech

I built a desktop app that explains code, because I got tired of tabbing to ChatGPT every 5 minutes