Category: Developer Setup Difficulty: Medium Setup time: 15-20 minutes Last tested: January 2025

PROBLEM

I was writing code using AI chats - like ChatGPT in the browser. And it wasn't working for me.

What was happening:

• The chat memory would run out and the model would freeze
• I had to close the tab and reopen it from scratch
• Fragmented workflow: I was going back and forth between windows
• Copy code from ChatGPT, paste into VS Code, test, go back to ChatGPT
• I was wasting a lot of time

It was frustrating. I wanted to build websites, apps, scrapers - but I was spending more time copy-pasting than actually building things.

THE SOLUTION: VS Code + Codex

I discovered I could integrate AI directly inside VS Code.

Game changer.

Why?

• No more switching between pages
• I produce code directly in the interface where I work
• I have full control over my files
• I can run scripts from the integrated terminal