01 / cover Whole Tomato Software
Starter kit · Visual Assist

The first
30 minutes
with Visual Assist.

A short orientation for new installs and a discovery reference for long-time users. Install once, jump in, and pull up this kit when you need to remember a shortcut, surface a feature, or hand a teammate something to read on day one.

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30-day free trial · full features
Built for Visual Studio 2026
129 MB installer
02  ·  What VA does Page 02 of 09
What it does

Three things Visual Studio doesn't do well. We do.

Visual Assist is a Visual Studio extension that picks up where the IDE leaves off — IntelliSense that grinds to a halt on large codebases, navigation that needs too many clicks, refactoring that misses things. Install it, launch Visual Studio, and it starts working. No configuration.

03  ·  Installation Page 03 of 09
Install

From download to working in under five minutes.

VA detects every Visual Studio version on your machine and lets you choose where to install. Nothing goes in the Start Menu, no desktop shortcut. VA lives entirely inside Visual Studio.

Step 02

Run it

VA auto-detects every installed Visual Studio version, including Visual Studio 2026. Pick which to install to. No program groups, Start Menu items, or desktop shortcuts get created.

TipPick Visual Studio 2026 for the latest experience
Step 03

Launch Visual Studio

VA initializes on first open and parses your solution in the background using parallel threads. Nothing to configure — it starts working as you type.

PerformanceBackground parsing · No IDE slowdown
Step 04

Find VAssistX

Look for VAssistX in the menu bar. That's your access point for options, tools, and licensing. Enter a key after purchase via VAssistX → License Registration.

ReferenceVAssistX → Help → Keyboard Shortcuts
Screenshot · VS menu bar The VAssistX menu visible in the Visual Studio menu bar after installation
What to look for

VAssistX in the menu bar.

After install, VA adds a single VAssistX entry to the Visual Studio menu bar. That's the entry point for tools, options, license registration, and the keyboard-shortcut reference. If you don't see it, restart Visual Studio.

First run · what you'll see

VA's parser kicks off in the background. The Suggestion List, GoTo Implementation, and Find References work the moment a file is parsed — no "ready" notification, no setup screen. Just open a file and start.

If you already use Copilot or Cursor

Visual Assist plays nicely. VA's suggestion list, navigation, and refactors operate locally and don't compete with AI completions. VA Intelligence (page 08) runs on local models and never auto-fires.

04  ·  Keyboard shortcuts Page 04 of 09
Reference

The shortcuts worth muscle-memorizing.

VA never overwrites an existing assignment — if a shortcut conflicts, it's skipped. Check current bindings via VAssistX → Help → Keyboard Shortcuts. Remap anything at Options → Keyboard and Mouse.

Navigation

12
Go to implementation / declarationAlt + G
Navigate backAlt + ←
Navigate forwardAlt + →
Move to previous scopeAlt + ↑
Move to next scopeAlt + ↓
Open file in solutionShift + Alt + O
Find symbol in solutionShift + Alt + S
Find referencesShift + Alt + F
Go to related symbolsShift + Alt + G
List methods in fileAlt + M
Open corresponding file (.h ↔ .cpp)Alt + O
Open VA HashtagsShift + Alt + H

Refactor & generate

3
Quick action / refactor menuShift + Alt + Q
Rename symbolShift + Alt + R
Create from usageShift + Alt + C

Edit & assist

Trigger suggestion listCtrl + Space
Highlight matching wordsAlt + K
Multiple clipboardsCtrl + Shift + V
Smart select — expandAlt + ]
Smart select — shrinkAlt + [
Reset editor zoomCtrl + 0

Inside Find References

In-window keys
Toggle scope · project ↔ solutionP
Declarations onlyD
Highlight in current fileH
Search within resultsCtrl + F

File filter syntax

Filter by path segment\path
Exclude matches-string
OR logic (match either)a,b
Reset persistent filterCtrl + R
Match symbol from start.name
05  ·  Navigate & search Page 05 of 09
Navigate & search

Move through code without breaking flow.

Six features that replace the ones you'd normally reach for in Visual Studio. They're noticeably faster on large solutions, work on symbols in comments, and don't require Solution Explorer at all.

Live demo Go to implementation jumping from a function call to its definition in another file
Navigation Alt + G

Go to implementation

Place your cursor on any symbol, press Alt+G, jump to its declaration or implementation. Multiple destinations (overloads, virtuals)? VA shows a disambiguation menu.

Back: Alt+← Forward: Alt+→
Screenshot VA navigation overview showing the Open File dialog with fuzzy search results
Navigation Shift + Alt + O

Open file in solution

Fuzzy file search with negative filters, path filters, OR logic, and multi-file selection. No Solution Explorer required. The filter persists between invocations.

\path · -string · a,b
Screenshot VA View tool window with Files and Symbols dropdowns for solution-wide navigation
Navigation Shift + Alt + S

Find symbol in solution

Search every class, method, variable, and namespace across the solution. Class-only filter (Alt+C), negative filter, dot-prefix for exact-start matching. Paste from clipboard with Ctrl+V.

Class only: Alt+C
Screenshot Find References results window grouped by project and file, with read and write references distinguished
Analysis Shift + Alt + F

Find references

Every usage of a symbol, grouped by project and file. Distinguishes read, write, and declaration references. Inside the results window: P scope · D declarations · H highlight · Ctrl+F filter.

Double-click → jump
Screenshot Symbol highlighting in the editor showing every reference to the symbol under the cursor in distinct colors
Analysis Always on

Symbol highlighting

As you move the cursor, every reference to the symbol under it is highlighted. Read references and write references appear in distinct colors — no false positives from same-named symbols in other contexts.

VAssistX → Options → Colors
Screenshot VA Outline tool window showing the class and method hierarchy of the current file
Tool windows Alt + M

VA Outline & VA View

VA Outline shows the method/class structure of the current file. VA View provides solution-wide navigation from two dropdowns — the fast path through a large codebase from 30,000 feet.

VAssistX → Tools
06  ·  Refactor & edit Page 06 of 09
Refactor & edit

Change code at scale, safely.

VA's refactoring is the part long-time users tend to discover late. Rename across a solution. Extract a method with the signature inferred. Write the call before the implementation. And the syntax coloring quietly makes the rest of your reading easier.

Screenshot VA Rename dialog showing the new name field with scope selector for project or solution
Refactoring Shift + Alt + R

Rename

Rename a symbol — namespace, class, method, field, variable, parameter — and every reference across a project or solution. Preview every affected location before confirming. Cancel if anything looks off; no side effects.

Tip: pair with Symbol Highlighting
Screenshot Extract Method dialog with auto-inferred signature ready to replace the selected block with a call
Refactoring Shift + Alt + Q

Extract method

Select a code block, name it. VA infers the signature, replaces the original block with a call, creates the method. Full undo in a single Ctrl+Z. C++ supports extraction as a free function.

Quick action menu
Screenshot VA generating a stub for an undefined symbol so the call can be written before the implementation
Code generation Shift + Alt + C

Create from usage

Top-down coding. Write the call before the implementation. Place your cursor on an undefined symbol — class, method, variable — and VA generates a stub where it belongs. You stay where you are.

Customize via VA Snippets
Screenshot VA suggestion list resolving an acronym into a deeply nested function name
Editing Ctrl + Space

Enhanced autocomplete

Suggestion lists with acronym matching, recently typed symbols, and surrounding-context awareness. Works reliably in broken or macro-heavy code where IntelliSense gives up. Snippets expand inline.

Try “SDF” → SomeDeeplyNestedFunction
Screenshot VA enhanced syntax coloring showing distinct colors for macros, enumerants, members, and locals
Editing Always on

Enhanced syntax coloring

Context-aware colors VS doesn't ship with: locals in bold, system symbols italic, distinct colors for macros, enumerants, and members. Brace mismatches visible at a glance. Customize at VAssistX → Options → Colors.

On by default
Screenshot VA debug assistance with Step Filter skipping standard library frames and the enhanced memory view
Debugging Step Filter

Debug assistance

VA Step Filter skips library internals so you step into your code, not through it. VA Memory View adds search, grouping, and display-format controls to the native memory window.

VAssistX → Debug → VA Step Filter
07  ·  Pro tips Page 07 of 09
Worth knowing

A few things most users miss.

Six tips that didn't fit on the feature cards — most discovered after months of daily use. Read them now and you'll save the discovery curve.

Suggestion lists

Type acronyms instead of full names

Type SDF to match SomeDeeplyNestedFunction. m_val resolves via shorthand. Works on member variables, free functions, and types — VA does the resolving in its head.

Open file

Filter syntax is more powerful than it looks

\path filters by path segment, -string excludes, a,b is OR logic, .name matches from the start. Press Ctrl+R to reset the persistent filter when switching contexts.

Find references

Don't leave the results window — use the keys

Inside Find References: P toggles scope, D shows declarations only, H highlights everything in the current file, Ctrl+F searches within results. Double-click any line to jump.

Rename safely

Preview the change before committing

Use Symbol Highlighting to visually confirm every reference before you run Rename. The Rename dialog also lists every affected location — cancel without side effects if something looks off.

Hashtags

Mark code, jump there later

Add //TODO:, //HACK:, or any custom hashtag in your code. VA indexes them so you can jump to any tagged location instantly via Shift+Alt+H. Useful for tracking work-in-progress across a large codebase.

Performance

Tune parse concurrency on big solutions

Under VAssistX → Options → Performance, raise the parse-thread count to use more cores. On large solutions this is the single biggest dial. Tell VA where source lives via Options → Projects and Solutions to skip wasted parsing.

What to customize Where to find it Why it's worth doing
Syntax colors Options → Colors Make macros, member variables, and locals visually distinct in your color scheme.
Keyboard shortcuts Options → Keyboard and Mouse Remap anything to your existing muscle memory. VA never overwrites an existing binding.
Custom file extensions Options → Projects and Solutions Get VA parsing .inl, .hlsli, or whatever extension your codebase uses.
Step filter Options → Step Filter Skip standard library and third-party namespaces during debugging — step into your code.
VA Snippets Tools → Edit VA Snippets More capable than VS native snippets — environment variables, input placeholders, refactor bindings.
08  ·  VA Intelligence Page 08 of 09
VA Intelligence

AI that stays on your machine.

VA Intelligence is Visual Assist's built-in AI integration. It runs on local models — your code doesn't leave the machine, nothing fires until you invoke it, and it's designed to work alongside Copilot, Cursor, or any other AI tool you already use.

VA Intelligence Change Code: selecting a block, describing the change in plain language, and reviewing the diff before applying
Change Code Select → describe → review diff → accept or reject
Local models Optional · never auto-runs No external data sent Copilot-compatible Diff before apply

VA Intelligence sits next to your existing AI tooling, not on top of it. The "Change Code" command is the one to start with — select something, describe the change in plain language, and confirm the diff. Nothing is applied without you.

Read the full VA Intelligence guide
01
Select a code block
Highlight any block of code you want to change in the editor.
02
Open Intelligence
VAssistX → Intelligence, or Shift+Alt+Q → Intelligence commands.
03
Describe the change in plain language
No special syntax. "Make this a coroutine." "Extract this loop." "Rewrite without raw pointers."
04
Review the diff
VA proposes the edit in a built-in diff view. Nothing is auto-applied — you accept or reject.
09  ·  Next steps Page 09 of 09
From the community

“I feel utterly limited when I sit down at a Visual Studio installation that doesn't have Visual Assist.”

Kevin M., Professional C++ developer Among 1.5M+ installs · Meta · Epic Games · Alibaba
Read more reviews on G2 See how teams rate Visual Assist on ease of use, support, and ROI
Documentation

Every feature, in depth

Each feature has a detailed page with examples and edge cases.

wholetomato.com/documentation →
Walkthroughs

Watch features in motion

Short feature videos and demo loops on the Whole Tomato YouTube channel.

YouTube · Whole Tomato →
Feedback

Talk to the team

We're a small, dev-led shop. Real users shape what we build next. VAssistX → Help → Feedback.

Send feedback →
Try Visual Assist free for 30 days

Install once.
Stop fighting the IDE.

Full features for 30 days. Built for the latest Visual Studio 2026, with auto-detection for every installed version on your machine. 129 MB installer.

Download free trial 30 days · Full features · No credit card