OpenAI has added a new feature to ChatGPT for macOS, making it easier for developers to work with their code. Starting Thursday, the ChatGPT desktop app will read code directly from popular coding apps like VS Code, Xcode, TextEdit, Terminal, and iTerm2.
This means developers no longer need to copy and paste their code into ChatGPT; the app automatically sends the code you’re working on for better context when you ask questions or request help.
Although ChatGPT can analyze and assist with tasks like code completion, it cannot yet write code directly into these apps. In a recent demo, ChatGPT helped fill in a missing planet in an Xcode project but still required the developer to copy the generated code back into their project manually.
The new feature uses macOS’s accessibility API to read text from supported apps. For some apps, like VS Code, users will need to install an additional extension.
ChatGPT processes up to 200 lines of code in the active window, sending it along with your prompt. However, it can’t interpret images or other visual content.
OpenAI desktop product leads Alexander Embiricos in a TechCrunch briefing:
“This isn’t meant to be an agent; it’s a way to collaborate with coding tools to start. But it’s a key step toward agents, where ChatGPT can understand and work with all the content you have to assist you.”
While the feature is currently available to ChatGPT Plus and Teams users, OpenAI plans to extend it to Enterprise and Education users soon.
his marks a key step toward OpenAI’s broader goal of developing a general-purpose AI agent that can seamlessly interact with your entire computer, a tool expected to be released in 2025. For now, ChatGPT is focusing on coding apps, with plans to expand to other text-based apps in the future.
