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VAST Platform

AI Assistant

Accelerating Smalltalk live development with AI-powered insight and assistance.

The VAST Platform AI Assistant brings AI directly into the VAST IDE, helping developers understand code, investigate live systems, debug faster, and generate Smalltalk code, all while keeping developers firmly in control.

Key Capabilities

Understand Complex Systems
Ask questions about classes, methods, and system architecture using natural language.

Generate & Refactor Code
Create Smalltalk methods, refactor existing code, and iterate on solutions while staying in the IDE.

Investigate Problems Faster
Analyze walkbacks, logs, and live debuggers to quickly understand issues.

Explore Live Applications
Work against the running Smalltalk image, not just source files.

MCP Servers Integration
Extend the AI Assistant capabilities and tools beyond the local VAST Smalltalk image

Stay in Control
Review every AI suggestion before applying changes using existing VAST workflows.

What Makes the VAST AI Assistant Different?

While external AI chat tools require you to constantly explain your codebase, the VAST Platform AI Assistant works directly inside your live Smalltalk environment. Because it connects natively to the live image, it understands the actual system and code relationships you're actively building.

Instead of breaking your flow to switch between external browsers, disconnected chat tools, and documentation, you can explore and investigate your application conversationally without ever leaving the VAST IDE.

Built Around Responsible Evolution^®

Rather than replacing developers, the VAST Platform AI Assistant helps experienced teams work more effectively.

Our approach follows the principles of Responsible Evolution^®:

Enablement
Help developers navigate complex systems, investigate code, and solve problems faster.

Continuity
Integrates naturally into existing VAST workflows without disrupting established development practices.

Augmentation
Provides deeper insight into live applications while preserving developer oversight.

Learn More

What Developers Use It For

The IDE-integrated VAST AI Assistant helps:

Prototype new ideas
Understand large legacy systems
Develop new applications
Debug and fix issues
Generate test suites

What Our Engineers Say

"Rapid prototyping with the AI tool is my default practice. I explain the problem just as I would to another developer, review its suggestions, and iterate toward the final solution."

Johan Brichau

Software Product Engineer,. Instantiations

"General AI tools treat code as static, file-based text. That falls short for Smalltalk. We wanted an AI that could work directly inside our dynamic, live programming environment."

Mariano Martinez Peck

Software Product Engineer,. Instantiations

Open Source

Built by Developers. Open to the Community.

The VAST Platform AI Assistant is an open-source project developed by the engineers building the VAST Platform itself.

We believe AI-assisted development improves through collaboration, transparency, and real-world use. Whether you're using the assistant, contributing features, or sharing feedback, you're helping shape the future of AI for Smalltalk.

Download the VAST Platform AI Assistant and experience AI that's designed for live systems

Learn more about our AI Assistant

AI + Developers: How We Built the VAST AI Assistant to Enhance Expertise, Not Replace It.

August 11, 2026

Instantiations, Inc.

By Seth Berman, Mariano Martinez Peck, Johan Brichau, and Esteban Maringolo Artificial intelligence has quickly become part of nearly every software development conversation. Today's development tools promise AI-powered coding, automated software generation, and dramatically faster development. Those are worthwhile advancements, but they weren't the problem we set out to solve. At Instantiations, we asked a […]

AI for Smalltalk: Meet the VAST Platform AI Assistant

March 17, 2026

Instantiations, Inc.

Artificial intelligence is rapidly changing how software is designed, built, and maintained. AI coding assistants are becoming a common part of the developer toolkit. Yet most of these tools are designed around static source code repositories, not the dynamic live environments where many enterprise Smalltalk-based systems actually run. That’s why we’re excited to introduce the […]

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© Instantiations, Inc. All rights reserved. 'Instantiations', 'Responsible Evolution', and the 'intersecting circle design' are registered trademarks of Instantiations, Inc. in the United States. All product names, trademarks, and registered trademarks are property of their respective owners. Company, product, and service names not owned by Instantiations are used for identification purposes only. Use of these names, trademarks, and brands does not imply endorsement.