Migrating from Codeium | Bootspring Docs

Guide to transitioning from Codeium to Bootspring.

Overview#

Codeium provides AI code completion and chat, similar to Copilot but free. Bootspring offers structured development assistance with expert agents and workflows. They work well together.

Key Differences#

Feature	Codeium	Bootspring
Cost	Free	Free tier available
Integration	IDE extension	CLI + Claude Desktop
Suggestions	Inline completion	Structured responses
Context	Automatic	Explicit CLAUDE.md
Specialization	General	35+ expert agents
Patterns	None	55+ skill patterns
Workflows	None	Multi-phase orchestration

Using Both Together#

Continue using Codeium for completions while adding Bootspring for advanced features:

Codeium - Fast inline completions
Bootspring - Expert agents, patterns, workflows
Claude Desktop - Interactive AI assistance

Migration Steps#

Step 1: Keep Codeium#

No need to remove Codeium. It stays in your IDE.

Step 2: Install Bootspring#

npm install -g bootspring

Step 3: Initialize Project#

cd your-project
bootspring init

Step 4: Set Up Claude Desktop#

bootspring mcp install

Feature Mapping#

Autocomplete#

Codeium: Real-time inline suggestions Bootspring: Not provided (use Codeium for this)

Keep Codeium for autocomplete - it's excellent and free.

Codeium Chat#

Codeium: Chat panel in IDE Bootspring: Expert agents via Claude Desktop

# Bootspring provides specialized experts
bootspring agent invoke database-expert "Design schema for e-commerce"

Code Search#

Codeium: Natural language code search Bootspring: Context-aware assistance

# Generate searchable context
bootspring generate

# Context helps Claude understand codebase

Refactoring#

Codeium: Basic refactoring suggestions Bootspring: Expert-guided refactoring

bootspring agent invoke code-review-expert "Refactor this module for better testability"

When to Use Each#

Keep Using Codeium For#

Line completions
Quick code generation
Boilerplate
Simple refactors
Free unlimited use

Use Bootspring For#

Complex architecture
Security reviews
Performance optimization
Database design
Full feature development
Team workflows

Common Codeium Features → Bootspring#

Codeium Command#

Codeium: Command palette actions Bootspring: CLI commands

# Generate code
bootspring agent invoke frontend-expert "Create dashboard component"

# Apply pattern
bootspring skill apply patterns/dashboard

Docstring Generation#

Codeium: Auto-generate docstrings Bootspring: Documentation with context

bootspring agent invoke api-expert "Add comprehensive JSDoc to lib/api.ts"

Unit Test Generation#

Codeium: Generate tests Bootspring: Expert test generation

# More comprehensive with expert
bootspring agent invoke testing-expert "Create tests for authentication module including edge cases"

Why Add Bootspring to Codeium?#

1. Specialized Expertise#

Codeium is general-purpose. Bootspring has 35+ experts:

bootspring agent invoke security-expert "Audit this auth flow"
bootspring agent invoke performance-expert "Optimize these queries"
bootspring agent invoke ui-ux-expert "Improve this form UX"

2. Production Patterns#

Instead of writing prompts repeatedly:

# Apply battle-tested patterns
bootspring skill apply patterns/api-endpoint
bootspring skill apply patterns/prisma-crud
bootspring skill apply patterns/auth-clerk

3. Development Workflows#

Orchestrate complex development:

bootspring workflow start feature-development
# Guides through design → implementation → testing → review

4. Quality Gates#

Automated quality checks:

bootspring quality pre-commit  # Run before committing
bootspring quality pre-deploy  # Run before deploying

5. Shareable Context#

Unlike Codeium's personal context:

bootspring generate
git add CLAUDE.md
# Team shares the same context understanding

Configuration#

Codeium Settings#

Codeium is configured in your IDE settings.

Bootspring Configuration#

bootspring.config.js:

module.exports = {
  project: {
    name: 'my-app',
    type: 'nextjs',
  },
  context: {
    include: ['**/*.ts', '**/*.tsx'],
    exclude: ['node_modules/**', '**/*.test.ts'],
  },
  agents: {
    enabled: [
      'frontend-expert',
      'backend-expert',
      'database-expert',
    ],
  },
};

Cost Optimization#

Free Tier Strategy#

Codeium - Free unlimited completions
Bootspring Free - 50 agent invocations/month
Claude Desktop - Separate Claude subscription

Pro Upgrade#

When you need more:

1,000 agent invocations
All expert agents
Priority support

Tips for Codeium Users#

1. Don't Replace, Augment#

Codeium is free and excellent for completions. Keep it.

2. Use Bootspring for Complex Tasks#

When Codeium chat isn't enough:

# Security review
bootspring agent invoke security-expert "Review authentication implementation"

# Performance analysis
bootspring agent invoke performance-expert "Analyze and optimize slow queries"

3. Apply Patterns for Common Tasks#

Save time on repetitive setups:

bootspring skill apply patterns/api-crud
bootspring skill apply patterns/react-form
bootspring skill apply patterns/prisma-model

4. Use Workflows for Features#

For full feature development:

bootspring workflow start feature-development

Make AI assistance consistent across team:

bootspring generate
git add CLAUDE.md bootspring.config.js
git commit -m "Add Bootspring configuration"

Migration Checklist#

Install Bootspring CLI
Initialize in project
Generate initial context
Set up Claude Desktop
Keep Codeium for completions
Use Bootspring for complex tasks
Share context with team