NppAIAssistant

AI assistance beside your text. Visible prompts. Deliberate edits.

A native Notepad++ plugin that helps explain code, rewrite text, and organize drafts. Choose a cloud AI service or connect to a local model.

Windows downloads & installation

繁體中文 · Download · Report an issue · GPL-3.0

Version guide: the current GitHub x64 release is 0.2.0.6 (v0.2.0.6). The official Notepad++ Plugin List x64 entry has also been updated to 0.2.0.6 through upstream PR #1196; individual installations may see the Plugins Admin update later as the list propagates. The workspace tour below reflects the 0.2.0.6 UI. Screenshots use native controls; release host acceptance was completed separately from screenshot capture.

Release behavior: OpenRouter is included in v0.2.0.6. Press Ctrl + right-click on selected text to open the optional AI context menu; ordinary right-click and keyboard menus keep their native Notepad++ behavior. You can disable the AI context menu entirely in Settings. See usage.

From a question to an edit

1. Choose a service and model: use your preferred cloud API or a local LM Studio endpoint.
2. Shape the request: select a task preset and output format, then inspect the assembled prompt before sending.
3. Read the result: switch between a basic formatted preview and the original response.
4. Choose where it goes: keep the answer in the panel, insert at the cursor, replace the selection, or create a new document.

Meet the workspace · v0.2.0.6

Keep the request, response, and destination together

The upper controls select the provider, model, task profile, and output format. The response occupies the center; the destination and input remain below it. Resize the panel, drag the input divider, or use A+ / A− to make the text comfortable to read. Preview before send: check the assembled prompt before it reaches the selected provider. Formatted / original view: read basic Markdown or indented JSON while retaining the original response. Output destination: explicitly choose panel, cursor, selection, or new document. Reply selection: choose which assistant reply to insert. New / branch conversation: organize local transcripts. Conversation branches do not automatically become model context.

Configure the connection separately from the task Settings separate provider connections from prompt configuration. LM Studio has its own URL, API mode, and model selection. Discover available models first, then explicitly choose a default. The API key fields in this screenshot are empty. Networking was disabled when it was captured, so model discovery appears unavailable.

Know what you are sending Prompt configuration brings task presets, response language, output rules, and the assembled preview into one place. Built-in template sections are locked by default and require an explicit unlock to edit. Optional visible Memory is disabled by default; it is ordinary local text, so keep secrets out of it.

Native context-menu workflow

Ordinary right-click opens the native Notepad++ menu. Ctrl + right-click on selected text opens the AI actions; Shift+F10 / Menu key keeps its native behavior. You can disable the AI context menu entirely in Settings.

Providers and output

v0.2.0.6 implements OpenAI, Gemini, Claude, OpenRouter, LM Studio, and a generic OpenAI-compatible profile. Availability, model access, and usage charges depend on the selected provider. Copilot is currently paused.

Output mode	Behavior in v0.2.0.6
Text	Plain response for general editing and drafting.
Markdown	Basic headings, emphasis, code, lists, and quotes in the panel. HTML, images, links, and tables are not rendered.
JSON	Asks for JSON; this alone is not schema enforcement.
Structured JSON	Uses native schema transport and local validation for supported OpenAI and LM Studio Chat Completions models. Unsupported routes are blocked.

Requests are non-streaming: the status strip reports request phases, and the answer appears after the response arrives. In 0.2.0.6, local loopback generation uses a 900-second timeout for the relevant HTTP phases; this is not a 900-second total request deadline. Model discovery uses a separate short timeout.

English and Traditional Chinese are supported. Japanese and Spanish cover the main workspace, with English fallback in advanced settings.

Install the published release

Use Plugins → Plugins Admin, search for NppAIAssistant, and install the entry offered by your Notepad++ Plugin List. List updates may reach installations at different times.

For manual installation on x64 Notepad++:

1. Download NppAIAssistant-0.2.0.6-x64.zip from the v0.2.0.6 release.
2. Close Notepad++ and back up any existing plugin DLL.
3. Extract NppAIAssistant.dll to <Notepad++>\plugins\NppAIAssistant\NppAIAssistant.dll.
4. Restart Notepad++ and open its Plugins → NppAIAssistant menu.

The screenshots above correspond to the v0.2.0.6 interface. Match the plugin architecture to your editor; this page does not offer x86 or ARM64 release downloads.

Privacy and editing behavior

• A request sends its assembled prompt and included text to the endpoint you choose. A local endpoint keeps that request local only if the configured service itself runs locally.
• v0.2.0.6 protects stored API credentials with Windows DPAPI under %LocalAppData%\Notepad++\AIAssistant. Preferences and visible prompt text live under %AppData%\Notepad++\plugins\config\NppAIAssistant.ini.
• A portable Notepad++ folder does not isolate those production settings paths.
• Editor writes are guarded against changed documents, read-only buffers, and lossy encoding conversion. Review generated text before applying it; supported writes are grouped for undo.
• Requests are single-turn by default. A visible transcript does not mean previous replies are automatically sent again.

Build and contribute

Use Windows, Visual Studio with the C++ workload and Windows SDK, and CMake 3.21 or newer. From a source checkout:

cmake -S . -B build -A x64
cmake --build build --config Release

Build output paths depend on the checked-out revision and generator. Use the repository packaging scripts when preparing a distributable ZIP. For bug reports, include plugin and Notepad++ versions, architecture, provider/API mode, and a minimal reproducible example with credentials and private text removed.

The visual design notes explain the original AI-generated banner and screenshot provenance. The banner is project artwork; interface screenshots are captured native controls. This project is developed with AI assistance and distributed under GPL-3.0.