Lingma tutorial
This is a tutorial. Do it in order: pick a surface → copy the official install text → sign in → complete → three chat modes.
Names: glossary. Keys and plans: cheatsheet. Recipes: cookbook.
Goal: go from "the Chinese Copilot" to "it completes, answers, and edits in my IDE".
Step 0: Name what you are installing
The Help Center calls the coding sub-product Qoder CN (formerly TONGYI Lingma) and offers two ways to use it (Installation guide):
Qoder CN 为您提供两种使用方式。您可以选择下载开箱即用的 Qoder CN IDE，也可以选择在您现有的开发工具中直接安装 Qoder CN 插件。安装后登录账号即可开始使用。
EN Help Center equivalent: install Qoder CN IDE, or install the plugin in an existing IDE, then sign in (Setup and install).
| You already have | Install | Official stance |
|---|---|---|
| No preference / want an AI-native IDE | Qoder CN IDE (marketing still says Lingma IDE) | Current default |
| IntelliJ IDEA / WebStorm / PyCharm | JetBrains plugin | Current iteration surface |
| VS Code | VS Code plugin | Still installable; official text says updates slowed / discontinued |
| Visual Studio 2022 / 2019 | Visual Studio plugin | Chat is Ask-only for now |
Individual edition prerequisite: an Alibaba Cloud account; sign in with the primary account (Individual quick start, EN).
Step 1: Install
The steps below are copied from official pages. Do not merge the old and new search strings. Use the wording on the page you opened.
1.1 Standalone IDE
Marketing site lingma.aliyun.com/download:
Lingma IDE 将增强上下文工程与智能体无缝集成，全面理解代码库，轻松处理复杂任务，同时兼容 JetBrains IDEs 等主流编程工具，开发者可以自由选择。
全面集成智能编码助手的能力，开箱即用更简单，无需安装插件即可享受高效、智能的编程体验。
OS lines on that page:
- macOS 11.0+
- Windows 10/11
- Linux
.deb/.rpm
The Help Center names the same client Qoder CN IDE, points downloads at https://qoder.com.cn/download, and writes:
适用操作系统：Windows 10/11（x64）、macOS 11.0 、Linux x64 (.deb/.rpm) 或更新版本。
Both URLs are official. New-brand downloads go through qoder.com.cn/download. Official upgrade path: uninstall the original Lingma IDE, then install Qoder CN IDE (Billing).
1.2 JetBrains plugin
Marketing download page, IntelliJ IDEA example:
方式一：从插件市场安装
点击导航-插件，打开应用市场，搜索通义灵码（TONGYI Lingma），找到通义灵码后点击安装。
方式二：下载离线包安装
- 下载 JetBrains IDEs 的 zip 安装包；
- 点击导航-插件，点击设置图标，下拉菜单中单击从本地安装插件，选择下载的 zip 文件后安装。
重启 IntelliJ IDEA，重启成功后登录阿里云账号，即刻开启智能编码之旅。
Help Center (new display name):
打开 IntelliJ IDEA 设置窗口，在插件市场中搜索 Qoder CN，找到 Qoder CN 后单击安装。
安装完成后，请重启 IntelliJ IDEA。
Offline zip from Help Center: tongyi-jetbrains-latest.zip. New-brand zip: qodercn-jetbrains-latest.zip.
Compatibility: JetBrains IDEs 2020.3+. Full matrix: Cheatsheet.
1.3 Visual Studio Code plugin
Read the official stance first:
产品功能迭代将主要集中在 Qoder CN IDE 和 Qoder CN JetBrains 插件中，VSCode 插件更新节奏将会放缓。如果您在使用 VSCode 插件过程中遇到问题或不便，建议切换到 Qoder CN IDE. (Installation guide)
EN update log: "VS Code plugin support discontinued … no longer part of the product suite." (Update log)
Help Center install text:
下载并安装 Visual Studio Code 1.68.0 及以上版本。
方法 1：从插件市场安装
单击 立即安装 ，唤起 Visual Studio Code 插件市场直接安装，安装后请重启 IDE，即可开启智能编码之旅。
打开 Visual Studio Code 扩展窗口，搜索 Qoder CN，找到 Qoder CN 后单击安装。
方法 2：下载安装包安装
单击下方链接，下载 Visual Studio Code 的 VSIX 安装包：Qoder CN-VS Code
打开 Visual Studio Code 后，单击扩展，单击更多按钮，在下拉菜单中单击 从 VSIX 安装 ，选择下载的 VSIX 文件后安装。
安装完成后，请重启 Visual Studio Code。
Marketplace ID remains Alibaba-Cloud.tongyi-lingma. Display name: Qoder CN (Formerly Lingma).
If the sidebar icon is missing:
如果安装后在侧边导航上找不到 Qoder CN 入口，可鼠标聚焦在侧边导航后右键查看，勾选 Qoder CN 后即可将插件入口配置在侧边导航上。
1.4 Visual Studio
Help Center does not publish a click-by-click Visual Studio walkthrough. It only says: install from the marketplace or an install package (Setup and install). Compatible versions: Visual Studio 2022 17.3.0+ or 2019 16.3.0+, Windows 10+ (Compatible IDEs). Chat on Visual Studio is Ask-only for now (Chat overview). This page does not invent the missing clicks.
Step 2: Sign in
Individual edition (Individual quick start):
- 安装完成后，选择 阿里云中国站账号登录 ，前往阿里云登录页完成登录。
- 在阿里云登录页面完成登录，后续即可看到登录成功页面。
- 回到 IDE 端即可开始使用 Qoder CN 。
登录成功页面将展示账号名称和 Account ID 等信息。在 IDE 中，可通过 TONGYI Lingma 插件面板右上角的账号名称确认登录状态。
EN Help Center: you can log on with an Alibaba Cloud account. Help Center also documents AK/SK login (common for remote SSH). Business / Dedicated login is a different path (Setup and install); this tutorial does not cover the enterprise console.
Step 3: Inline completion
Open a real frontend file and type. Official definition (What is Qoder CN):
根据当前语法和跨文件的代码上下文，自动感知当前工程，实时生成行、函数级代码。
通过注释描述您想要的功能，可直接在编辑器区生成代码。
Marketplace English: "generate line-level or function-level code … based on the context of your current or related files." Accept with Tab (Plugin configuration). Write the intent in a comment.
Next Edit Suggestion (NES) is a different feature. See Cookbook.
Step 4: Pick a chat mode
Open chat (Chat overview):
| Action | macOS | Windows |
|---|---|---|
| Toggle chat | ⌘ ⇧ L (JetBrains, VS Code); ⌘ L (Lingma IDE) | Ctrl Shift L |
Three official modes in one thread — you can switch without starting a new chat:
| Mode | Official meaning | Use it when |
|---|---|---|
| Ask | R&D Q&A; does not edit project files | You need to understand first |
| Edit | Precise multi-file edits, reviewable | You know which files |
| Agent | Plans, uses tools (terminal, MCP), end-to-end | You give the goal |
Support matrix is official, not inferred:
- Visual Studio Code: all three
- Lingma IDE / JetBrains plugin: Ask + Agent; no Edit
- Visual Studio: Ask only for now
- Latest chat features: upgrade VS Code / JetBrains plugins to 2.5.0 or later
Official prompt advice (do not rewrite as "usually"):
- Describe the task as a structured goal plus steps.
- Attach context: files, images, codebase, codeChanges.
- State language, style, format, and change targets.
- Iterate.
Accept or reject file diffs before they merge into the original files.
Step 5: Watch terminal confirms in Agent mode
Agent mode can edit many files and run the terminal. Official default (Agent):
默认每次执行命令前需要开发者进行确认：单击 运行 发送到 IDE Terminal；单击 取消 跳过此次命令。
Do not enable the auto-run allowlist on day one. MCP calls also ask before they run. Recipes: Cookbook.
Step 6: Safety habits
- Review generated code, especially auth, payments, and SQL.
- In Agent mode, do not click Run on a command you cannot read.
- Enterprise knowledge bases are enterprise features. Do not assume they exist on an individual account.
- This site does not document model internals. See Learn LLM.
Next
- Wrong mode, weak prompts, MCP → Cookbook
- URLs / shortcuts / plans → Cheatsheet
- Rename and "not this" → Glossary