Getting started with watsonx Code Assistant

With watsonx Code Assistant, you can harness generative AI and advanced automation to create enterprise-ready code.

It is an innovative, generative AI coding companion that offers robust, contextually aware assistance for popular programming languages including Go, C, C++, Java, JavaScript, Python, TypeScript, and more. Seamlessly integrated into your IDE, you can accelerate your productivity and simplify coding tasks, all with trust, security, and compliance.

  • AI-powered coding tasks: Code generation, explanation, unit test, creation, AI-derived code documentation, and more.
  • Enterprise Java modernization: Generative AI and automation-assisted modernization for Java enterprise applications.
  • Chat for code: Free-form AI conversational chat for planning applications and writing code.
  • Prebuilt chat commands: Use optimized prompts for specific tasks.
  • Integrated directly into IDEs: Available directly within Visual Studio Code and Eclipse, integrating seamlessly with your workflow.

Checking whether the service is installed

An administrator must install watsonx Code Assistant.

To check whether the service is installed:

  1. From the navigation menu, select Services > Services catalog.
  2. Search for watsonx Code Assistant.

If the service is installed and ready to use, the tile in the catalog shows Ready to use.

Accessing the service

Code Assistant™ watsonx Code Assistant is available from IBM watsonx Code Assistant™ experience.

Developers can access the service by installing an IDE extension in their code editor. For more information, see:

Generating an API key

You must generate an API key to authenticate and access your account when using an Integrated Development Environment (IDE), such as Visual Studio Code with the IBM watsonx Code Assistant extension.

  1. Log in to IBM Software Hub. The user needs access to the deployment space.
    Note: Ensure you have the Editor role in the deployment space created during the post-installation setup. This role can be assigned directly to you or through group membership.
  2. Change the experience to IBM watsonx Code Assistant.
    1. To switch between experiences, click the Switch locations (Switch locations icon) icon in the toolbar.
  3. Generate your new API key.
    1. Click your profile icon in the top-right.
    2. Click Profile > Settings.
    3. Under API key, click Generate new key.
    4. Copy and save your API key.
      Important: Your API key cannot be recovered if lost.

Learn more

To learn more about watsonx Code Assistant, see the following topics in the IBM watsonx Code Assistant documentation: