APL 2 · Light Setup
Light Setup
The assistant lives inside your code editor. It sees your files and suggests changes in context.
Overview
APL2 puts the assistant where you work - in the editor. It can see your code, suggest completions, and make edits you approve. The assistant assists, but you are still in the driver's seat.
What This Level Is
Light Setup means the assistant is embedded in your development environment. It has context about the file you are editing, can see related files, and offers inline suggestions. You approve or reject every change.
Tools at This Level
- Cursor (suggestions mode) - AI-native editor with inline edits and chat. Cursor's Agent/Composer mode operates at APL3.
- Windsurf - AI code editor with flow-based editing
- VS Code + GitHub Copilot - Autocomplete and chat in VS Code. The chat interface is APL2; Copilot via API in a pipeline is APL3.
- Cline (suggestions mode) - VS Code extension that can use many model backends (DeepSeek, Minimax via OpenRouter, etc.). Cline in agent mode is APL3.
- VS Code + Continue - Open-source AI coding extension
What You Can Do
- Get intelligent autocomplete as you type
- Chat with the assistant about your current file
- Request inline edits and review diffs before accepting
- Generate boilerplate, tests, and documentation in context
- Ask questions about your codebase
What You Cannot Do
- Automated multi-file refactors across the project
- Run shell commands through the assistant
- Let the assistant iterate on its own work without your approval
- Build end-to-end features autonomously
Risks at This Level
- Acceptance fatigue: Auto-accepting suggestions without reading them
- Context limitations: The assistant sees one file but may miss project-wide patterns
- Vendor lock-in: Editor-specific assistant features that do not transfer
- False confidence: Thinking the assistant understands your architecture when it only sees the current file
When to Level Up
If you are fighting the editor's limitations - needing multi-file edits, wanting the assistant to run tests, or wishing it could execute commands - you are ready for APL3: Dev Setup. But make sure your access level matches before you do.