ipycodex-help

name	ipycodex-help
allowed-tools	is_ipycodexskill_loaded
description	Explains ipycodex usage, commands, configuration, and features. Use when the user asks how to use ipycodex, what commands are available, or needs help with ipycodex configuration.

ipycodex Help

ipycodex is an IPython extension that turns any input starting with . into an AI prompt.

Quick Start

Load the extension:

%load_ext ipycodex

Then type a period followed by your prompt:

.write a haiku about sqlite

Commands

• %ipycodex — show current settings (model, think level, search level, code theme, log flag, config paths)
• %ipycodex model <name> — change model for this session (e.g. %ipycodex model claude-sonnet-4-6)
• %ipycodex think <level> — set thinking level: l, m, or h
• %ipycodex search <level> — set search level: l, m, or h
• %ipycodex code_theme <name> — set Rich code theme (e.g. monokai, github-dark)
• %ipycodex log_exact <bool> — enable/disable exact prompt/response logging
• %ipycodex save — save current session (code + AI history) to startup file
• %ipycodex reset — clear AI prompt history for current session

Tools

Expose a function as a tool by referencing it with &name`` in your prompt:

def weather(city): return f"Sunny in {city}"

. use `use &`weather` to check Brisbane`weather` to check Brisbane

With #|eval: true as the first line, the code is run when the skill is loaded. For example, after loading this, you can run is_ipycodexskill_loaded():

#|eval: true
def is_ipycodexskill_loaded():
    "A test tool for the ipycodex skill"
    return True

Notes

Any IPython cell containing only a string literal is treated as a "note". Notes appear in AI context as <note> blocks rather than <code> blocks, and are saved as markdown cells in the startup notebook.

"This is a note that provides context to the AI"

Configuration Files

• ~/.config/ipycodex/config.json — model, think, search, code_theme, log_exact
• ~/.config/ipycodex/sysp.txt — system prompt
• ~/.config/ipycodex/startup.ipynb — saved session snapshot
• ~/.config/ipycodex/exact-log.jsonl — raw prompt/response log (when enabled)

Multiline Prompts

Paste multiple lines or use backslash continuation:

. summarize this module:
focus on state management
and persistence behavior

. draft a migration plan \
with risks and rollback steps