shiva shanker

Posted on Oct 9

Grok Code Fast 1 is Now Available in Visual Studio Code—And It's Actually Pretty Good

#vscode #ai #coding #productivity

X's AI coding assistant just got a whole lot more accessible.

If you've been following the AI coding assistant wars, you know it's been a battle between GitHub Copilot, Cursor, and a handful of others. But there's a new player that just became a lot more interesting: Grok Code Fast 1 is now available as a Visual Studio Code extension.

Yes, that Grok—the AI from xAI, Elon's AI company. And before you roll your eyes, hear me out: this thing is surprisingly capable.

What is Grok Code Fast 1?

Grok Code Fast 1 is xAI's coding-focused language model, designed specifically for understanding and generating code. Think of it as their answer to GitHub Copilot, but with some interesting differences:

Speed-optimized for real-time code completion
Context-aware across your entire project
Multi-language support (JavaScript, Python, TypeScript, Go, Rust, and more)
Natural language to code translation
Code explanation and debugging assistance

The "Fast 1" designation means it's optimized for low-latency responses—critical when you're in the flow and don't want to wait for suggestions.

Getting Started

Installation is dead simple:

Open VS Code
Go to Extensions (Ctrl+Shift+X / Cmd+Shift+X)
Search for "Grok Code Fast"
Install and authenticate with your X account

That's it. The extension activates immediately and starts analyzing your workspace.

What Makes It Different?

After using it for a week alongside Copilot, here's what stands out:

1. It's Genuinely Fast

The name isn't marketing fluff. Completions appear almost instantly—noticeably faster than Copilot in my testing. When you're in the zone, those milliseconds matter.

2. Better Context Understanding

Grok seems to understand project structure really well. It doesn't just look at the current file; it understands imports, dependencies, and your project's architecture.

For example, when I was working on a React component, it suggested props that matched my TypeScript interfaces defined three files away. That's... actually impressive.

3. Conversational Debugging

You can highlight buggy code, hit a hotkey, and ask Grok to explain what's wrong. It gives you plain-English explanations, not just stack traces. Great for learning and rubber-duck debugging.

4. Multi-file Edits

Need to refactor something across multiple files? Grok can suggest changes across your codebase, not just single-file completions. This is huge for maintaining consistency.

Real-World Example

Here's where it actually helped me this week:

I was building a REST API in Express and needed to add authentication middleware. I typed a comment:

// Add JWT authentication middleware that checks token and adds user to request

Grok immediately suggested:

const authenticateToken = (req, res, next) => {
  const authHeader = req.headers['authorization'];
  const token = authHeader && authHeader.split(' ')[1];

  if (!token) {
    return res.status(401).json({ error: 'Access token required' });
  }

  jwt.verify(token, process.env.JWT_SECRET, (err, user) => {
    if (err) {
      return res.status(403).json({ error: 'Invalid or expired token' });
    }
    req.user = user;
    next();
  });
};

That's not just autocomplete. That's understanding the task, the framework conventions, and security best practices. I barely had to touch it.

The Quirks (Because Nothing's Perfect)

Let's be honest about the rough edges:

Learning curve: The first day, it suggested some weird completions. The AI needs time to learn your coding style and project patterns.

Occasional over-eagerness: Sometimes it suggests completions for code you're not even trying to write. You learn to ignore it.

X account required: You need an X (Twitter) account to authenticate. Not ideal if you've been avoiding the platform.

Still new: It's early days. Bugs exist, and the documentation could be better.

How Does It Stack Up Against Copilot?

I'm not ditching Copilot entirely, but here's my honest comparison:

Feature	Grok Code Fast 1	GitHub Copilot
Speed	⚡ Faster	Fast
Context awareness	Excellent	Good
Code quality	Very good	Very good
Multi-file edits	Yes	Limited
Price	Free (for now)	$10-20/month
IDE support	VS Code only	Many IDEs
Maturity	New	Established

The verdict? For VS Code users, Grok is absolutely worth trying. It's not a Copilot killer yet, but it's competitive—and in some areas, better.

Pricing and Availability

Here's the kicker: it's currently free.

I don't know if this is a launch promotion or permanent, but right now, you get full access without paying anything. Given that Copilot costs $10-20/month, that's a significant advantage.

Will it stay free? No idea. Enjoy it while it lasts.

Should You Try It?

Yes, if you:

Use VS Code as your primary editor
Want faster AI completions
Work on complex, multi-file projects
Are curious about alternatives to Copilot
Don't mind signing in with an X account

Skip it if you:

Don't use VS Code
Already love your current AI assistant
Prefer battle-tested, mature tools
Avoid anything Elon-related on principle

Grok Code Fast 1 is a legit AI coding assistant that holds its own against the competition. It's fast, understands context well, and genuinely helpful for everyday coding tasks.

Is it revolutionary? No. Is it a worthy alternative to Copilot? Absolutely.

The AI coding assistant space just got more interesting. Competition is good, and Grok brings real innovation to the table—especially in speed and context awareness.

Give it a shot. Worst case, you uninstall it. Best case, you just upgraded your coding workflow for free.

Have you tried Grok Code Fast 1 yet? What's your experience been? Drop your thoughts in the comments

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