No more terminal commands. Chat with Claude Code through a beautiful, intuitive interface right inside VS Code.
Ditch the command line and experience Claude Code like never before. This extension brings a stunning chat interface directly into your editor, making AI assistance accessible, visual, and enjoyable.
🤖 Built by Claude Code for Claude Code - This extension was entirely developed using Claude Code itself. Claude Code created its own chat interface!
🖥️ No Terminal Required - Beautiful chat interface replaces command-line interactions
⏪ Restore Checkpoints - Undo changes and restore code to any previous state
💾 Conversation History - Automatic conversation history and session management
🎨 VS Code Native - Claude Code integrated directly into VS Code with native theming
🧠 Plan and Thinking modes - Plan First and configurable Thinking modes for better results
⚡ Smart File Context and Commands - Reference any file with simple @ mentions and / for commands
🤖 Model Selection - Choose between Opus, Sonnet, or Default based on your needs
🐧 WSL Support - Full Windows Subsystem for Linux integration and compatibility
- No terminal required - everything through the UI
- Real-time streaming responses with typing indicators
- One-click message copying with visual feedback
- Rich markdown support for code blocks and formatting
- Auto-resizing input that grows with your content
- Restore Checkpoints - Instantly undo changes and restore to any previous state
- Automatic Git-based backup system for safe experimentation
- Browse and restore from any conversation checkpoint
- Automatic conversation saving and restoration
- Real-time cost and token tracking
- Session statistics and performance metrics
- Type
@to instantly search and reference workspace files - Image attachments via file browser
- Lightning-fast file search across your entire project
- Seamless context preservation for multi-file discussions
- Visual dashboard showing all available Claude Code tools
- Real-time tool execution with formatted results
- Process control - start, stop, and monitor operations
- Native theming that matches your editor
- Status bar integration with connection status
- Activity bar panel for quick access
- Responsive design for any screen size
- Opus - Most capable model for complex tasks requiring deep reasoning
- Sonnet - Balanced model offering great performance for most use cases
- Default - Uses your configured model setting
- Model preference persists across sessions and is saved automatically
- Easy switching via dropdown selector in the chat interface
- Visual confirmation when switching between models
- One-click model configuration through integrated terminal
- Slash Commands Modal - Type "/" to access all Claude Code commands instantly
- 19+ Built-in Commands - /cost, /status, /config, /help, /memory, /review, and more
- Custom Command Support - Execute any Claude Code command with session context
- Session-Aware Execution - All commands run with current conversation context
- Terminal Integration - Commands open directly in VS Code terminal with WSL support
- Plan First Mode - Toggle to make Claude plan before implementing changes
- Thinking Mode - Configurable intensity levels (Think, Think Hard, Think Harder, Ultrathink)
- Mode Toggles - Simple switches above the text input area
- Intelligent Prompting - Different prompts based on selected thinking intensity
- Token Awareness - Higher thinking levels consume more tokens but provide deeper reasoning
- VS Code 1.80+ - Latest version recommended
- Claude Code CLI - Install from Anthropic
- Active Claude API or subscription - API or Pro/Max plan
-
Install from VS Code Marketplace
ext install claude-code-chat -
Or install manually
- Download the
.vsixfile from releases - Run
code --install-extension claude-code-chat-x.x.x.vsix
- Download the
-
Open Claude Code Chat
- Press
Ctrl+Shift+C(orCmd+Shift+Con Mac) - Or click the Claude icon in your status bar
- Or use Command Palette:
Claude Code: Open Chat
- Press
You: @src/components/UserProfile.tsx Can you review this component and suggest improvements?
Claude: I'll analyze your UserProfile component. Looking at the code, here are my recommendations:
1. **Performance Optimization**: Add React.memo() to prevent unnecessary re-renders
2. **TypeScript Enhancement**: The props interface could be more specific
3. **Accessibility**: Missing ARIA labels for screen readers
[Detailed analysis with code examples follows...]
You: Analyze the overall architecture of my project and identify potential issues
Claude: I'll examine your project structure and identify areas for improvement:
🏗️ **Architecture Overview**
- React frontend with TypeScript
- Node.js backend with Express
- MongoDB database layer
⚠️ **Identified Issues**
- Missing error boundaries in React components
- Database queries lack proper indexing
- API routes missing input validation
[Detailed recommendations with implementation examples...]
You: I'm getting a strange error in my API. Here's the stack trace: [paste error]
Claude: Looking at this stack trace, the issue appears to be a race condition in your async middleware. Here's what's happening:
1. **Root Cause**: Multiple requests are modifying shared state
2. **Solution**: Implement proper request isolation
3. **Prevention**: Add comprehensive error handling
[Step-by-step debugging guide follows...]
You: Can you refactor this entire component to use hooks instead of class components?
Claude: I'll refactor your component to use React hooks. Don't worry - I'll create a checkpoint first so you can easily restore if needed.
[Creates automatic checkpoint]
Here's the refactored component using hooks:
[Shows the new implementation]
If you want to revert these changes, just click "Restore Checkpoint" to go back to your original code instantly.
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
Ctrl+Shift+C |
Open Claude Code Chat |
Enter |
Send message |
@ |
Open file picker |
/ |
Open slash commands modal |
If you're using Claude Code through WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux), you can configure the extension to use WSL:
- Open VS Code Settings (
Ctrl+,orCmd+,) - Search for "Claude Code Chat"
- Configure these settings:
- Claude Code Chat: WSL Enabled - Enable WSL integration
- Claude Code Chat: WSL Distro - Your WSL distribution name (e.g.,
Ubuntu,Debian) - Claude Code Chat: WSL Node Path - Path to Node.js in WSL (default:
/usr/bin/node) - Claude Code Chat: WSL Claude Path - Path to Claude in WSL (default:
/usr/local/bin/claude)
Example configuration in settings.json:
{
"claudeCodeChat.wsl.enabled": true,
"claudeCodeChat.wsl.distro": "Ubuntu",
"claudeCodeChat.wsl.nodePath": "/usr/bin/node",
"claudeCodeChat.wsl.claudePath": "/usr/local/bin/claude"
}- Type
@followed by your search term to quickly reference files - Use
@src/to narrow down to specific directories - Reference multiple files in one message for cross-file analysis
- Creates checkpoints automatically before changes for safe experimentation
- Restore instantly if changes don't work out as expected
- Use the stop button to cancel long-running operations
- Copy message contents to reuse Claude's responses
- Open history panel to reference previous conversations
- The UI automatically adapts to your VS Code theme
- Messages are color-coded: Green for you, Blue for Claude
- Hover over messages to reveal the copy button
Claude Code Chat provides full access to all Claude Code tools:
- Bash - Execute shell commands
- File Operations - Read, write, and edit files
- Search - Grep and glob pattern matching
- Web - Fetch and search web content
- Multi-edit - Batch file modifications
- While in Beta, all tools are enabled by default, use at your own risk!
- Real-time cost tracking - Monitor your API usage
- Token consumption - See input/output token counts
- Response timing - Track performance metrics
- Session statistics - Comprehensive usage analytics
- Instant restoration - One-click restore to any previous state
- Conversation checkpoints - Every change creates a restore point
- Visual timeline - See and navigate through all your project states
- Automatic saving - Every conversation is preserved
- Smart restoration - Resume exactly where you left off
- Switch between chats - Easily check and switch to previous conversations
We welcome contributions! Here's how you can help:
- 🐛 Report Bugs - Use our issue tracker
- 💡 Suggest Features - Share your ideas
- 🔧 Submit PRs - Help us improve the codebase
- 📚 Improve Docs - Make the documentation better
git clone https://github.com/andrepimenta/claude-code-chat
cd claude-code-chat
npm install
Click "F5" to run the extension or access the "Run and Debug" section in VSCodeSee the LICENSE file for details.
- Anthropic - For creating the amazing Claude AI and more specifically the Claude Code SDK
- VS Code Team - For the incredible extension platform
- Our Community - For feedback, suggestions, and contributions
Need help? We've got you covered:
- 🐛 Issues: GitHub Issues
⭐ Star us on GitHub if this project helped you!