1. Prerequisites  

1. An LLM API key configured under Operations -> Zia in your Zoho Creator account   .If not configured, the extension by default will use Zoho GenAI, Zoho's in-house AI which is included with all paid plans of Zoho Creator at no additional cost.
   
2. A Git repository and personal access token is required only if you want to use version control with Creator AI Studio. You will need a repository URL and a personal access token with read and write access. 

2. Steps to configure Creator AI Studio in VS Code 

2.1. Install the extension 

1. Contact Zoho Creator support to get the .vsix file for Creator AI Studio.
   
2. Open VS Code and navigate to the Extensions icon in the left pane (or use the shortcuts Ctrl+Shift+X / Cmd+Shift+X).
   
3. Click the ⋯(meatball) menu in the top-right of the Extensions panel and select Install from VSIX….
   
   
4. Select the downloaded .vsix file and click Install.
   
5. Once installed, the Creator AI Studio icon will appear in the Activity Bar on the left side of VS Code. Click it to open the extension.
   

2.2. Link your Zoho Creator account  

1. Once installed, you would need to connect your Creator account:
   
2. Click the Creator AI Studio icon in the top-right corner of VS Code to open the extension home page.
   
3. Click Sign in with Zoho.
   
4. A browser window with Zoho Accounts sign-up page will open. Log in to your Zoho Creator account and authorize access.
   
5. If your account has multiple workspaces, you will be prompted to select one. If there is only one workspace, it will be selected automatically.
   Note: Only workspaces where you have a Super Admin, Admin, or Developer role will be listed. These are the workspaces where you have permission to create or update apps.
6. Once authentication is complete, you will be redirected back to VS Code.
   

2.2.1. Switch accounts

1. Click the Account icon in the chat panel.
   
2. On the Account page, under Creator Account, click Sign out.
   
3. The extension returns to the sign-in screen. Click Sign in with Zoho and authenticate with the account you want to switch to.
   Note: Switching accounts will disconnect the current workspace. You will be prompted to select a workspace after signing in with the new account.

2.3. Get to know the extension  

2.3.1. App folder

Each application gets its own subfolder here. Selecting an empty folder starts a new app. Selecting a folder that already contains .ds files opens that app for editing. Click it to select or change your working folder.

2.3.2. Meatball menu  (⋯)

1. Import from Creator: Fetches the apps currently in your authenticated Zoho Creator account and brings them into your working directory. This is the quickest way to start working on an existing app.
   
   
2. Import from file: Import a local folder that already contains .ds files. Use this if you have an app on your machine that was not pulled from Creator directly.
   
   
3. Country & currency: Set the country context for your app. Country-specific fields like currency and phone number will automatically use the relevant format and defaults. For example, selecting India will set currency fields to INR.
   

2.3.3. Chat panel controls

2.3.4. Commands

2.4  Vibe-code with AI 

2.4.1. Pick your starting point 

1. Build a new app from scratch: Open the chat panel, describe the application you want to build or upload a file containing BRD, flowcharts etc.. The AI will take it from there.
   
2. Import an existing app from Zoho Creator
   
1. Click the ⋯ menu and select Import from Creator.
   
   
2. Your apps from the authenticated Zoho Creator account will be listed. Select the one you want to work on.
   
   
3. The app is downloaded to your working directory as structured .ds files.
   
4. Describe the changes or additions you want in the chat panel and let the AI build from there.
   
3. Import from local
   
1. Click the ⋯ menu and select Manual Import.
   
   
2. Select the local folder containing your .ds files.
   
3. The app opens in the extension workspace. Describe your changes in the chat panel.
   

2.4.2. Build with your prompt  

1. Enter your prompt in the chat panel. Describe the requirement from the application you want to build. The more specific you are, the better the output. Optionally attach a requirements document, wireframe, or data sample to give the AI additional context.
   
2. The AI asks you a series of contextual questions based on your prompt to help it understand your requirements more precisely before generating.
   Questions are grouped by theme (for example: Users, Workflow, Notifications). Select from the provided options or choose Other to enter a custom response. You can also skip remaining questions.
   
   
3. Once you submit your answers, Creator AI Studio generates a structured plan. This is comprehensive with a numbered list of components it intends to build, each mapped to the corresponding .ds file path in your app. Expand Show details on any component to see more, or click Preview diagram for a visual overview.
   
   
4. Review and act on the plan. You have five options:
   
1. Approve & Accept Edits: Approve the plan and let the AI apply all changes directly to your .ds files without further prompts.
   
2. Approve: Approve the plan, but the AI will ask for your permission before applying each change.
   
3. Refine with interview: The AI asks you a fresh set of questions and revises the plan based on your answers.
   
4. Refine with feedback: Enter a free-form prompt to modify the plan.
   
5. Cancel: Discard the plan and start over.
   
5. Once approved, Creator AI Studio generates and writes the .ds files according to the plan. You can watch the progress in the chat panel.
   
6. Once the build is complete, you can continue refining by entering a new prompt to extend, modify, or fix any part of the output.
   

2.4.3. Deploy to Zoho Creator  

1. In the chat panel, run the appropriate required deploy command (/generate-ds, /deploy-as-new-app, or /deploy-to-existing-app). For details, see section 2.3.4. Commands.
   
2. The extension builds your app by combining the .ds files in your local folder and uploads your app to the Zoho Creator account you are logged in with.  If the upload encounters an error, the agent will automatically diagnose and fix it, then retry. For errors that cannot be resolved automatically, the agent will stop and suggest raising a support ticket with Zoho Creator support.
   
3. Once the sync is complete, open your Zoho Creator account to access and test the account.
   

2.5. Version control with Git 

1. Click the Account icon in the chat panel.
   
2. On the Account page, under Version Control · Git, click Configure Git.
   
3. Enter your Repository URL (e.g. https://github.com/user/repo.git) and paste your Access token.
   
4. Click Save.
   
5. Once configured, when you deploy changes using /deploy-to-existing-app, the updated .ds files are pushed to your Git repository and synced to your Zoho Creator account.

3. Token consumption & performance 

1. Tokens are consumed from your API key at your configured LLM provider.
   
2. Rate limits and performance vary by provider.
   
3. Higher effort level implies more tokens consumed per session.
   
4. Attaching a file or document to your prompt increases token usage.
   

4. Related Topics

1. Build Anywhere
   
2. Working with Zoho Creator for Claude Code