# Ivie: Lightweight Anchored Explanations of Just-Generated Code

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2403.02491 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2403.02491/

## Key facts

- Cited by 14 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 4 Mar 2024.

## Built on by (most cited first, 14 of 14)

- [The Widening Gap: The Benefits and Harms of Generative AI for Novice Programmers](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2405.17739/) (2024)
- [Assistance or Disruption? Exploring and Evaluating the Design and Trade-offs of Proactive AI Programming Support](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2502.18658/) (2025)
- [Exploring the Design Space of Cognitive Engagement Techniques with AI-Generated Code for Enhanced Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2410.08922/) (2024)
- [Understanding the LLM-ification of CHI: Unpacking the Impact of LLMs at CHI through a Systematic Literature Review](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2501.12557/) (2025)
- [Contrastive Explanations That Anticipate Human Misconceptions Can Improve Human Decision-Making Skills](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2410.04253/) (2024)
- [BISCUIT: Scaffolding LLM-Generated Code with Ephemeral UIs in Computational Notebooks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2404.07387/) (2024)
- [Human-AI Experience in Integrated Development Environments: A Systematic Literature Review](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2503.06195/) (2025)
- [Do It For Me vs. Do It With Me: Investigating User Perceptions of Different Paradigms of Automation in Copilots for Feature-Rich Software](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2504.15549/) (2025)
- [NeuroSync: Intent-Aware Code-Based Problem Solving via Direct LLM Understanding Modification](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2508.02823/) (2025)
- [HiLDe: Intentional Code Generation via Human-in-the-Loop Decoding](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2505.22906/) (2025)
- [Choose Your Own Adventure: Non-Linear AI-Assisted Programming with EvoGraph](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2604.18883/) (2026)
- [TARS: A Theory-of-Mind Agent for Personalized In-IDE Code Comprehension](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2607.15948/) (2026)
- [AppLooper: An Agentic Application Engineering Loop for Accountable Release with Virtual-User Feedback](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2608.14093/) (2026)
- [VibeJam: A User Study Platform for Web Development with Agents](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2608.29889/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Programming assistants have reshaped the experience of programming into one where programmers spend less time writing and more time critically examining code. In this paper, we explore how programming assistants can be extended to accelerate the inspection of generated code. We introduce an extension to the programming assistant called Ivie, or instantly visible in-situ explanations. When using Ivie, a programmer's generated code is instantly accompanied by explanations positioned just adjacent to the code. Our design was optimized for extremely low-cost invocation and dismissal. Explanations are compact and informative. They describe meaningful expressions, from individual variables to entire blocks of code. We present an implementation of Ivie that forks VS Code, applying a modern LLM for timely segmentation and explanation of generated code. In a lab study, we compared Ivie to a contemporary baseline tool for code understanding. Ivie improved understanding of generated code, and was received by programmers as a highly useful, low distraction, desirable complement to the programming assistant.