AI-Powered Code Assistance

Core AI features for intelligent code suggestions, improvements, and modifications

Overview

Avante.nvim provides AI-powered code assistance that integrates seamlessly into your Neovim workflow. Ask questions about your code, get intelligent suggestions, and apply AI-generated changes with a single command.

Core Features

Ask Questions

Get intelligent answers about your code, architecture, or implementation details

Code Editing

AI suggests and applies targeted code improvements and refactoring

Chat Sessions

Maintain context across multiple interactions with persistent chat history

Visual Mode Editing

Select code visually and ask AI to refactor, improve, or explain it

Asking Questions

Ask the AI questions about your current code file:

From Command Mode

:AvanteAsk How can I improve the performance of this function?

The AI will analyze your code and provide specific suggestions.

With Keybindings

Press <Leader>aa (default) to open the sidebar and start asking:

1. Sidebar opens on the right
2. Type your question in the input area
3. Press <CR> to submit
4. AI responds with analysis and suggestions

Positioning the Sidebar

Control where the sidebar appears:

:AvanteAsk position=left Explain this code
:AvanteAsk position=top What does this function do?
:AvanteAsk position=bottom How can I test this?

Editing Code

Let AI refactor and improve your code:

Visual Selection

1. Select code in visual mode

   " Visual line mode
   V5j
   
   " Or visual block mode
   <C-v>
   
2. Trigger AvanteEdit

   :AvanteEdit Refactor this to use async/await
   

   Or use the keybinding: <Leader>ae (default)

3. Review suggestions

   The AI generates improved code. Review the diff in the sidebar.

4. Apply changes

   • Press a to apply at cursor
   • Press A to apply all suggestions
   • Press co / ct to choose ours/theirs in conflicts

Example Editing Workflow

-- Original code
function fetch_user(id)
  local result = api.call('/users/' .. id)
  return result
end

Select the function and run:

:AvanteEdit Add error handling and logging

AI suggests:

-- AI-improved code
function fetch_user(id)
  vim.notify(string.format('Fetching user: %s', id), vim.log.levels.DEBUG)
  
  local ok, result = pcall(api.call, '/users/' .. id)
  if not ok then
    vim.notify(string.format('Failed to fetch user %s: %s', id, result), vim.log.levels.ERROR)
    return nil
  end
  
  return result
end

Chat Sessions

Maintain context across multiple interactions:

Starting a Chat

:AvanteChat

This opens the sidebar without immediately asking a question (as opposed to :AvanteAsk which prompts immediately).

Creating New Chats

:AvanteChatNew

Start a fresh conversation with no previous context.

Managing History

Avante automatically saves your chat history:

" View previous chats
:AvanteHistory

" Clear current session
:AvanteClear history

" Clear all cached data
:AvanteClear cache

Or use keybindings:

• <Leader>ah - Select from history
• <Leader>an - New chat session

Adding Context

Help the AI understand your project better:

Adding Files

Add files to the conversation context:

" From sidebar
@  " Press @ to open file selector

" From command
<Leader>ac  " Add current buffer
<Leader>aB  " Add all open buffers

Using Mentions

Reference specific context in your prompts:

@file src/auth.lua - Check if this module handles session expiration
@codebase - Find all database query functions
@diagnostics - Show me all errors in the project

See Completion Sources for details.

Project Instructions

Create an avante.md file in your project root:

## Your Role

You are an expert Lua developer specializing in Neovim plugins.

## Coding Standards

- Use snake_case for function names
- Add type annotations with ---@type
- Include luadoc comments for public functions

The AI will reference this file automatically.

One-Click Application

Quickly apply AI suggestions to your code:

Apply at Cursor

Press a in the sidebar to apply the suggestion under your cursor.

Apply All

Press A to apply all AI-suggested changes at once.

Diff Navigation

Navigate and resolve conflicts:

Keybinding	Action
]x	Next conflict
[x	Previous conflict
co	Choose ours
ct	Choose theirs
cb	Choose both
ca	Choose all theirs
cc	Choose cursor

Sidebar Navigation

Move between sidebar and code:

Keybinding	Action
<Tab>	Switch windows forward
<S-Tab>	Switch windows backward
<Leader>af	Focus sidebar
q or <Esc>	Close sidebar

Configuration

Customize AI assistance behavior:

require('avante').setup({
  provider = "claude",  -- AI provider
  behaviour = {
    auto_set_keymaps = true,  -- Automatically set keybindings
    auto_apply_diff_after_generation = false,  -- Manual review
  },
  windows = {
    position = "right",  -- Sidebar position
    width = 30,  -- Sidebar width percentage
  },
})

Tips for Better Results

Be specific: Instead of “improve this”, say “refactor this to reduce cyclomatic complexity and improve readability”.

Provide context: Use @mentions to reference related files and @diagnostics to include error information.

Iterate: Don’t expect perfection on the first try. Use the edit feature (e) to refine your request.

Review before applying: Always review AI suggestions before applying, especially for critical code.

Next Steps

Quick Start

Get started with Avante in minutes

Completion Sources

Use mentions, slash commands, and shortcuts

Diff Management

Master conflict resolution

Project Instructions

Guide AI with project context