99 is a Neovim AI agent that augments programmer ability rather than replacing it, built in Lua to integrate AI-assisted workflows directly into the editor.
The tool addresses the challenge of effectively combining human coding judgment with large language model capabilities. It works through an agentic workflow that surfaces information and assists with code tasks. The primary interaction model centers on a search function that scans a project with natural language prompts and returns relevant code locations with contextual notes in the quickfix list. Beyond search, the tool offers visual selection replacement, where highlighted code can be sent to an AI model along with a prompt and replaced with the results. A worker abstraction provides persistent tracking of work items, allowing developers to define tasks and use search to identify remaining work.
The project is explicitly in beta with APIs subject to change. It suits developers who want AI assistance within their editor workflow while maintaining hands-on control over code decisions. The tool is positioned against the philosophy that hand-coding remains essential and that AI should augment rather than automate away programmer involvement. The search capability is highlighted as the primary direction of development, with the visual replacement and worker features available as secondary workflows. The README notes that prompts are temporary and could be substantially improved.
Development activity is dominated by bug fixes and feature work in the issue tracker, reflecting active iteration on core functionality and stability.
