chat.md: The Hacker's AI Chat Interface [Experimental]

Finally, a fully editable chat interface with MCP support on any LLM.

chat.md is a Visual Studio Code extension that reimagines AI interaction through plain text files. Unlike ephemeral web interfaces or proprietary chat windows, chat.md embraces a file-first approach where your conversations with AI are just markdown files with a .chat.md extension. Edit them, version control them, share them - they're your files. The AI directly writes its response in the file.

Any '*.chat.md' file is now an AI agent hackable by you. Go crazy with non linear AI conversation.

Usage video

Here's the chat I used to publish this vscode extension using gemini-2.5-pro and wcgw mcp

NOTE ⚠️: chat.md is 100% AI coded and should be treated as a feature rich POC.

Why chat.md?

Features

🗣️ File-Based Conversations

Unlike Copilot's inline suggestions, ChatGPT's web interface, or Cursor's side panel, chat.md treats conversations as first-class files in your workspace:

# %% user
How can I optimize this function?

[#file](src/utils.js)

# %% assistant
Looking at your utils.js file, I see several opportunities for optimization:

1. The loop on line 24 could be replaced with a more efficient map/reduce pattern
2. The repetitive string concatenation can be improved with template literals
...

🔌 Universal Model Support

• Anthropic Claude: All models (Opus, Sonnet, Haiku)
• OpenAI: GPT-4, GPT-3.5, and future models
• Custom APIs: Any OpenAI-compatible endpoint (Azure, Google Gemini, etc.)
• Quick Switching: Toggle between different models in between a conversation.

🛠️ Universal Tool Ecosystem with MCP

Chat.md is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) client - an open standard for tool execution that works with any LLM.

Chat.md doesn't restrict any LLM from tool calling unlike many chat applications.

• Truly Universal: Any AI model (Claude, GPT, open-source models) can use any MCP tool
• Model Agnostic: Tools work identically regardless of which AI powers your conversation
• No Vendor Lock-in: Switch models without losing tool functionality

<tool_call>
<tool_name>filesystem.searchFiles</tool_name>
<param name="pattern">*.js</param>
<param name="directory">src</param>
</tool_call>

📎 Contextual File Attachments

• Attach text files and images directly in your conversations (paste any copied image)
• Link files using familiar markdown syntax: [file](path/to/file)
• Files are resolved relative to the chat document - perfect for project context (or use absolute paths)

💾 Editable Conversations

Since chat.md files are just text, you have complete control over your AI interactions:

• Non-linear Editing: Rewrite history by editing earlier parts of the conversation
• Conversation Hacking: Put words in the AI's mouth by editing its responses
• Continuation Control: Have the AI continue from any edited point
• Resume Truncated Outputs: If a

... View full README on GitHub