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Contral Documentation
Contral is an AI coding assistant that teaches while you build. Find setup guides, AppSumo lifetime-deal help, feature references and fixes for common problems.
Popular tasks
- Redeem your AppSumo codeActivate your AppSumo license on a new or existing Contral account, step by step, including email verification.
- QuickstartInstall the extension, sign in, and make your first build and first lesson in about five minutes.
- Install the extensionInstall Contral in VS Code, Cursor, Windsurf, Antigravity, Kilo Code or VSCodium from the Marketplace, Open VSX or a VSIX file.
- Usage limits explainedExact limits for every plan and AppSumo tier, when they reset, and what counts as a message, deep dive or session.
- TroubleshootingEvery AppSumo redemption error message, what causes it, and how to fix it.
Browse by section
Get started
- IntroductionWhat Contral is, its Build, Learn and Defense modes, and who it's for.
- QuickstartInstall the extension, sign in, and make your first build and first lesson in about five minutes.
- Install the extensionInstall Contral in VS Code, Cursor, Windsurf, Antigravity, Kilo Code or VSCodium from the Marketplace, Open VSX or a VSIX file.
- Install the desktop IDEDownload and install Contral IDE: supported platforms, system requirements, first launch and automatic updates.
- Sign in & connect your accountSign in to Contral from the extension or desktop IDE with Google, GitHub or email, and fix common sign-in issues.
AppSumo
- AppSumo lifetime deal overviewWhat each Contral AppSumo tier includes: exact limits, features in every tier, and what isn't included.
- Redeem your AppSumo codeActivate your AppSumo license on a new or existing Contral account, step by step, including email verification.
- Upgrade or change your tierUpgrade or downgrade your Contral AppSumo tier on AppSumo; changes carry over to your account automatically.
- Refunds & deactivationAppSumo's 60-day refund policy and what happens to your Contral account when a license is refunded.
- AppSumo FAQAnswers to common questions about the Contral AppSumo lifetime deal: licenses, tiers, limits, BYOK, teams and devices.
Using Contral
- Build modeUse Contral's AI coding agent: give it tasks, review edits hunk by hunk, approve commands and undo turns.
- Learn mode & curriculumContral's Java curriculum: categories, free topics, missions, hints, checkpoints and where progress is saved.
- Defense modeHow Contral checks that you understand code: explain-it-back steps, quizzes, checkpoints and exams.
- Agent modes & plan approvalsWhen to use Fast, Plan, Deep and Recursive modes, which plans include them, and how plan approval works.
- Slash commands referenceEvery slash command in the Contral chat, plus MCP, skills and @contral commands.
- Teaching on AI edits from other agentsGet teaching cards for code written by Cursor, Copilot, Claude Code, Codex and other AI agents.
- Codebase tours & codebase chatAnalyse a repository into a guided tour and learning path, then ask questions about it.
- Web searchSearch the web from the Contral extension with /web and /research, and how monthly search limits work.
- MCP serversAdd MCP servers to Contral from the marketplace or by hand, and manage and approve their tools.
- SkillsUse Contral's built-in skills, install more from the marketplace or GitHub, and write your own SKILL.md.
- Bring your own key (BYOK)Use your own OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, OpenRouter, Ollama or other API key in Contral, and BYOK limits by plan.
- Usage limits & quotas explainedExact limits for every plan and AppSumo tier, when they reset, and what counts as a message, deep dive or session.
Account & billing
- Plans & pricingCompare Contral's Free, Pro, Pro+ and Teams plans and the AppSumo lifetime tiers.
- Your dashboardWhat's on the Overview, Account, Subscription and Feedback pages of your Contral dashboard.
- Subscriptions, upgrades & cancellationSubscribe, upgrade, manage billing, cancel and request refunds for Contral plans bought on contral.ai.
- Privacy & dataWhat data Contral collects and never collects, how long it's kept, and how to use your privacy rights.
- Delete your accountPermanently delete your Contral account, what gets removed, and what to do first if you have a license or subscription.
Troubleshooting
- Redemption errorsEvery AppSumo redemption error message, what causes it, and how to fix it.
- Extension not loading or sign-in loopFix a missing or blank Contral panel, sign-in that never returns to the editor, and repeated sign-in prompts.
- Limits reached & quota errorsWhat each Contral limit message means and what to do when you hit a daily or monthly quota.
- Desktop IDE install issuesFix Contral IDE download, install, macOS security, Windows SmartScreen, Linux package and update problems.
- Model & response errorsFix failed or empty AI responses, usage-server connection errors, teaching card errors and BYOK provider errors.
Support
- Quick answers to common questionsShort, checked answers to the questions Contral support gets most: AppSumo redemption and tiers, limits, installing, sign-in, billing and accounts.
- Contact supportGet help from the support assistant, the ticket form, email or Discord, and what to include in a request.
- Changelog & roadmapWhere to find Contral release notes, the Learn mode roadmap, beta status, and how to request features.
Can't find what you need? Ask the support assistant in the corner of this page, or open a support ticket.