Product names, UIs, and install steps change. Use this page as a starting bookmark list — always read the current docs and your IT/security policy before installing anything at work.
IDE-integrated assistants
| Tool | Official starting point |
|---|---|
| Cursor | cursor.com/docs — built-in AI; sign in and privacy settings in the app |
| VS Code + GitHub Copilot | code.visualstudio.com/docs/copilot |
| Anthropic Claude (extensions) | anthropic.com/claude — search the marketplace for Anthropic-published extensions |
| Google Gemini (extensions) | codeassist.google or Google’s current Gemini developer docs |
Generic VS Code flow: Extensions view → install from recognised publisher → command palette → Sign in → open your project folder → smoke-test on a real file.
Terminal CLIs
| Tool | Official starting point |
|---|---|
| Gemini CLI | github.com/google-gemini/gemini-cli |
| Node.js (prerequisite for many CLIs) | nodejs.org |
Run the CLI beside your IDE — same my-static-site folder, files on disk.
Browser chat (supplemental)
| Tool | Official starting point |
|---|---|
| ChatGPT | chat.openai.com |
| Claude | claude.ai |
| Gemini | gemini.google.com |
Browser chat is fine for drafts and explanations. Save any markup you want to keep into your project folder — chat is not the ship.
When something fails
- Extension installed but idle → look for Sign in in the command palette.
npm/npxnot found → install Node.js LTS, restart the terminal.- OAuth fails at work → ask IT; do not paste confidential data into personal accounts to “work around” policy.