Use Muse Code inside VS Code

What the Helicon extension is

Helicon is an unofficial, open source side panel for the muse CLI. It does not replace Muse Code. It runs muse serve for the folder you have open and gives you a GUI over it, so the models, tools and approval rules are the ones you already get in the terminal.

• Threads as tabs: the threads you have open in this folder sit across the top of the panel.
• Approvals you can read: the exact command or edit before it runs, then allow or deny it.
• The files each thread changed, with line counts, one click from opening in the editor.
• History: every earlier thread in the folder, searchable and grouped by day, including the ones you started in the terminal.
• Monitors: a thread that is watching a build or a pull request's checks says so, with a Stop button.
• Plan usage: your 5-hour and weekly windows, and what each thread would have cost at API rates.

What you need first

• The muse CLI, installed and signed in once with muse login. The extension uses that login and never asks for an API key.
• A Muse Code plan, or pay-as-you-go billing on Meta's Model API. The free Muse app doesn't include Muse Code.
• VS Code 1.101 or later. The extension runs on the editor's own Node runtime and needs Node 22 or newer.

If muse --version does not answer in a terminal, fix that first. The muse CLI not found guide covers the usual causes.

Install it from the Extensions view

1. 1Open the Extensions view with Cmd+Shift+X on macOS or Ctrl+Shift+X on Windows and Linux.
2. 2Search for "Helicon".
3. 3Pick Helicon by harjjotsinghh and click Install.

You can also install it from the VS Code Marketplace in a browser, or from a terminal:

code --install-extension harjjotsinghh.helicon

VSCodium and other editors that use Open VSX get the same extension from Open VSX. For Cursor, Windsurf and Antigravity, see Muse Code in Cursor.

Open the panel

Click the Helicon icon in the activity bar, or press Cmd+Alt+H on macOS or Ctrl+Alt+H on Windows and Linux. The panel opens on the folder you have open. Type what you want changed in the composer at the bottom. New threads open as tabs, and the clock icon shows every earlier thread in the folder.

Drag the panel to the right-hand side bar if you prefer it there. If the divider line then sits on the wrong edge, set helicon.panelBorder to left or right.

For every project at once, run Helicon: Open Full Helicon in Editor from the Command Palette. It opens the full app, sidebar and all, in an editor tab.

Remote-SSH, WSL and dev containers

In a Remote-SSH, WSL or dev container window, the extension runs on the remote side, next to your code and its muse install. VS Code forwards the port for you, so the panel works the same way it does locally.

• Install the muse CLI on the remote machine, or inside the WSL distribution, and run muse login there once.
• The Muse login on the remote side is the one the panel uses.
• Check with muse --version in VS Code's integrated terminal, which already runs on the remote side.

To reach a server from the desktop app instead of the editor, see Muse Code over SSH.

Recommend it to your team

Add Helicon to the repository's .vscode/extensions.json. VS Code then suggests it to anyone who opens the folder without it installed.

{ "recommendations": ["harjjotsinghh.helicon"] }

The ID is the same on the VS Code Marketplace and on Open VSX, so the same file works for teammates on Cursor, Windsurf and Antigravity. Each person still needs their own muse CLI, muse login and Muse Code plan.

Try it before you install

Try the full app in your browser first. It runs on sample data, so nothing needs to be installed and no Muse login is involved.