Getting Started with Bwat in VS Code

Bwat is an AI assistant that can write code, fix bugs, and build entire projects for you, right inside your code editor. This guide walks you through setting it up in VS Code from scratch. No coding experience needed. By the end, you will be chatting with Bwat and it will be writing real files on your computer.

Everything below takes about ten minutes.

Step 1: Install VS Code

VS Code (short for Visual Studio Code) is a free code editor made by Microsoft. It is where Bwat lives, so you need it first.

1. Go to https://code.visualstudio.com/ in your browser.
2. Click the big Download button. The site automatically detects your operating system:
   • Windows: you will get an installer file (ends in .exe).
   • Mac: you will get a .dmg file.
   • Linux: you will get a .deb or .rpm package depending on your distribution.
3. Once downloaded, open the file and follow the installer prompts. On Windows, you can just keep clicking Next and then Install. The default options are fine for everyone.
4. When it finishes, open VS Code. You will see a welcome screen with a colorful sidebar icon on the far left.

That sidebar on the far left is called the Activity Bar. You will use it in the next step.

Step 2: Find the Bwat extension

Extensions are small add-ons that give VS Code new abilities. Bwat is one of them.

You have two ways to find it:

Option A: The direct link (fastest)

Open this link in your browser and click Install:

https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=CasaManagementSolutions.bwat-dev

Your browser will ask permission to open VS Code. Click Open and VS Code takes it from there. Skip to Step 3.

Option B: Search inside VS Code

1. Look at the Activity Bar on the far left of VS Code. Click the icon that looks like four small squares with one slightly tilted away. Hovering over it shows a tooltip that says Extensions. (Keyboard shortcut: Ctrl+Shift+X on Windows and Linux, Cmd+Shift+X on Mac.)
2. A search box appears at the top. Type Bwat.
3. You will see Bwat in the results list.

Step 3: Install Bwat

1. Click on Bwat in the list to open its page.
2. Click the blue Install button.
3. Wait a few seconds. When the button changes to a gear icon or says Installed, you are done.

Step 4: Open the Bwat panel

Look at the Activity Bar on the far left again. There is now a new Bwat icon there. Click it and the Bwat panel slides open, ready for you to chat.

Step 5: Sign in with Google

Bwat needs you to sign in so your chats and projects are saved to your account.

1. In the Bwat panel, click the Sign in button.
2. A browser window opens with sign in options.
3. Choose Sign in with Google. It is the easiest option since it skips creating a new password. Pick the Google account you want to use and confirm.
4. The browser will tell you to return to VS Code. Click Open if it asks.

Back in VS Code, the Bwat panel now shows you are signed in and ready to go.

Step 6: Start chatting with Bwat

This is the fun part. Type what you want in the Bwat chat box, just like texting a friend, and Bwat will create files, write code, and explain what it is doing as it goes.

A few tips for good results:

• Say what you want, not how to do it. You do not need technical words. "Make me a website for my salon with a price list and a contact form" works perfectly.
• Start small. Give Bwat one clear thing to do first. Once that works, ask for the next thing.
• You are in control. Bwat shows you every file it creates and every command it wants to run before it does anything. You approve each step.

Sample prompts to try right now

Copy any of these straight into the chat:

Make me a simple personal website with my name, a photo placeholder, and a short bio. Use purple as the main color.

Build a to-do list app where I can add tasks, tick them off, and delete them.

Create a calculator that works in the browser and looks modern.

Explain what the files in this folder do, in simple English.

Make a birthday invitation card I can print, for my sister Nalubega, with balloons on it.

The first prompt you send might take a minute while Bwat sets up your project. After that it gets faster.

You are all set

That is the whole setup: VS Code, the Bwat extension, a Google sign in, and your first prompt. From here, just keep the conversation going. Ask Bwat to change things, add features, or fix anything that looks off. It learns what you want as you chat.

If you get stuck at any step, ask Bwat itself, or reach us at https://getcasaapp.com/contact