Getting Started

To use Positron Assistant, follow these steps to enable it in Positron, configure language model providers, and start using its features.

Step 1: Enable Positron Assistant

  1. Open the Command Palette and run the command Preferences: Open User Settings.
  2. Search for the setting positron.assistant.enable.
  3. Check the box to enable Positron Assistant.
  4. Restart Positron or run the Developer: Reload Window command in the Command Palette.
  5. Click on the chat robot icon in the sidebar, or run the command Chat: Open Chat in the Command Palette to open the chat.

Step 2: Configure language model providers

Supported model providers

Currently, we support Anthropic and GitHub Copilot for sidebar chat and inline chat. At this time, only GitHub Copilot is available for inline code completions.

Obtain an Anthropic API key

Important

Positron Assistant requires a Claude Console account with API access. See Anthropic’s Claude API and Console documentation for more information.

Positron Assistant does not support logging into Anthropic with the Claude Pro Plan, Max Plan, or other Claude subscription plans.

To use Anthropic’s Claude models in Positron Assistant, you need to bring your own API key (BYOK). To obtain an API key from Anthropic:

  1. Log in to or create an account for Anthropic’s Claude Console.
  2. Navigate to the API keys management page.
  3. Click the Create Key button.
  4. Fill out any required information and click Add to generate your API key.
  5. Copy and save the API key to a password manager or another secure location.

Add Anthropic as a language model provider

After creating your API key, use it to add Anthropic as a language model provider in Positron.

  1. Open the Command Palette and run the Positron Assistant: Configure Language Model Providers command to open the language model provider dialog.
    • Alternatively, from the Chat pane, you can click the model selector and then Configure Model Providers… to open the dialog.
  2. Select Anthropic as the model provider.
  3. Paste your API key into the input field and click Sign in.
  4. Once authenticated successfully, the Sign in button will change to Sign out, and available models from Anthropic will be registered.
  5. Click the Done button to close the dialog.

You can now use Anthropic Claude models in Positron Assistant for chat and inline chat.

Obtain GitHub Copilot access

GitHub Copilot is a proprietary tool from GitHub. If you want to use GitHub Copilot, you need a subscription for GitHub Copilot in your personal GitHub account or to be assigned a seat by an organization with a subscription for GitHub Copilot for Business.

Students and faculty can use GitHub Copilot for free as part of the GitHub Education program. For more information, see the GitHub Education page.

GitHub may send individual snippets of source code or the contents of entire files to its servers to generate suggestions. For more details about how this information is handled, please see the Copilot Privacy Statement.

Add GitHub Copilot as a language model provider

If you have a GitHub account with Copilot enabled, you can authenticate to GitHub Copilot in Positron Assistant.

  1. Open the Command Palette and run the Positron Assistant: Configure Language Model Providers command to open the language model provider dialog.
    • Alternatively, from the Chat pane, you can click the model selector and then Configure Model Providers… to open the dialog.
  2. Select GitHub Copilot as the model provider.
  3. Click the Sign in button to initiate GitHub’s OAuth authentication flow.
    1. A code will be copied to your clipboard for the authentication flow, and a browser window will open to GitHub’s authorization page.
    2. In the browser window, follow the prompts to authorize Positron Assistant to access your GitHub Copilot subscription.
    3. After authorizing, return to Positron.
  4. Once authenticated successfully, the Sign in button will change to Sign out, and available models from GitHub Copilot will be registered.
  5. Click the Done button to close the dialog.
Tip

If you are using Positron with a remote SSH session, you will need to authenticate to GitHub on the remote server as well. Follow along on GitHub as we make improvements in this area.

Removing language model providers

  1. Run the Positron Assistant: Configure Language Model Providers command to open the language model provider dialog.
    • Alternatively, from the Chat pane, you can click the model selector and then Configure Model Providers… to open the dialog.
  2. Select the model provider you want to remove.
  3. Click the Sign out button to remove the provider from Positron Assistant.
  4. Click the Done button to close the dialog.

Step 3: Use Positron Assistant!

Use the Chat pane, inline chat, code completions in an Editor, or Console actions to interact with the language models.