Claude Code provides native integration with IDEs, particularly VS Code, offering seamless AI-powered coding assistance directly within your development environment.
Official VS Code extension providing full Claude Code integration.
// Extension installation
// Install from VS Code marketplace: "anthropic.claude-code"
// Extension activation
{
"name": "claude-code",
"displayName": "Claude Code",
"publisher": "anthropic",
"version": "1.0.105",
"engines": {
"vscode": "^1.80.0"
}
}Extension Features:
View and apply code changes directly in the editor.
// Diff display capabilities
interface DiffDisplay {
// Show proposed changes
showDiff(originalCode: string, proposedCode: string): void;
// Apply changes selectively
applyChanges(changes: CodeChange[]): void;
// Reject changes
rejectChanges(changes: CodeChange[]): void;
// Preview changes before applying
previewChanges(changes: CodeChange[]): DiffPreview;
}
interface CodeChange {
file: string;
line: number;
oldContent: string;
newContent: string;
type: 'addition' | 'deletion' | 'modification';
}Diff Features:
Integration with VS Code's diagnostic system for error reporting.
// Diagnostic integration
interface DiagnosticIntegration {
// Report issues found by Claude
reportDiagnostics(file: string, diagnostics: Diagnostic[]): void;
// Clear diagnostics
clearDiagnostics(file: string): void;
// Quick fix suggestions
provideQuickFixes(diagnostic: Diagnostic): QuickFix[];
}
interface Diagnostic {
range: Range;
message: string;
severity: DiagnosticSeverity;
source: 'claude-code';
code?: string;
}
enum DiagnosticSeverity {
Error = 0,
Warning = 1,
Information = 2,
Hint = 3
}Diagnostic Features:
Support for image paste and drag-and-drop operations.
// Image handling capabilities
interface ImageSupport {
// Handle pasted images
onImagePaste(image: ImageData): void;
// Handle drag and drop
onImageDrop(files: File[]): void;
// Process screenshots
processScreenshot(screenshot: ImageData): void;
// Support file types
supportedTypes: string[]; // ['png', 'jpg', 'gif', 'svg', 'pdf']
}
// Image paste example
document.addEventListener('paste', (event) => {
const items = event.clipboardData?.items;
for (const item of items) {
if (item.type.startsWith('image/')) {
const file = item.getAsFile();
claudeCode.handleImagePaste(file);
}
}
});Image Features:
Intelligent file suggestions and context awareness.
// File watching system
interface FileWatcher {
// Watch for file changes
watchFiles(patterns: string[]): void;
// Provide file suggestions
suggestFiles(context: string): FileSuggestion[];
// Handle @-mentions
resolveFileMention(mention: string): File[];
// Tab completion
provideCompletion(partial: string): CompletionItem[];
}
interface FileSuggestion {
path: string;
relevance: number;
reason: string;
lastModified: Date;
}File Features:
Full Windows Subsystem for Linux support.
# WSL integration
# Automatic detection of WSL environment
# Path translation between Windows and WSL
# File system access across boundaries
# Remote development support
# WSL configuration
{
"claude-code.wsl.enabled": true,
"claude-code.wsl.distribution": "Ubuntu-20.04",
"claude-code.wsl.remotePathPrefix": "/mnt/c"
}WSL Features:
Automatic IDE connection and session persistence.
// Auto-connection configuration
interface AutoConnection {
// Enable/disable auto-connection
enabled: boolean;
// Connection timeout
timeout: number;
// Retry configuration
retryAttempts: number;
retryDelay: number;
// Session persistence
persistSession: boolean;
}
// Environment variable control
CLAUDE_CODE_AUTO_CONNECT_IDE=trueAuto-connection Features:
VS Code-specific configuration options.
{
"claude-code": {
// General settings
"enabled": true,
"autoConnect": true,
"showDiffPreview": true,
// Diff display settings
"diff": {
"showInlineChanges": true,
"highlightWords": true,
"showLineNumbers": true
},
// Diagnostics settings
"diagnostics": {
"enabled": true,
"showQuickFixes": true,
"severity": "warning"
},
// Image support settings
"images": {
"enablePaste": true,
"enableDragDrop": true,
"maxFileSize": "10MB"
},
// Performance settings
"performance": {
"debounceTime": 500,
"maxFileSize": "1MB",
"excludePatterns": ["node_modules/**", ".git/**"]
}
}
}Access Claude Code features through VS Code's command palette.
// Command palette commands
const commands = [
'claude-code.start', // Start Claude Code session
'claude-code.stop', // Stop Claude Code session
'claude-code.restart', // Restart Claude Code
'claude-code.showDiff', // Show diff for current file
'claude-code.applyChanges', // Apply pending changes
'claude-code.rejectChanges', // Reject pending changes
'claude-code.clearDiagnostics', // Clear diagnostics
'claude-code.openSettings', // Open extension settings
'claude-code.showLogs', // Show extension logs
'claude-code.reportIssue' // Report issue
];Command Features:
Display Claude Code status and controls in VS Code status bar.
// Status bar item
interface StatusBarItem {
// Connection status
status: 'connected' | 'connecting' | 'disconnected' | 'error';
// Active features
features: string[];
// Quick actions
actions: StatusBarAction[];
// Click handler
onClick(): void;
}
// Status display examples
"Claude Code: Connected"
"Claude Code: Processing..."
"Claude Code: Error - Click to retry"
"Claude Code: 3 pending changes"Status Bar Features:
Customizable keyboard shortcuts for common operations.
{
"keybindings": [
{
"command": "claude-code.start",
"key": "ctrl+shift+c",
"when": "editorTextFocus"
},
{
"command": "claude-code.showDiff",
"key": "ctrl+shift+d",
"when": "claude-code.active"
},
{
"command": "claude-code.applyChanges",
"key": "ctrl+shift+a",
"when": "claude-code.hasPendingChanges"
},
{
"command": "claude-code.rejectChanges",
"key": "ctrl+shift+r",
"when": "claude-code.hasPendingChanges"
}
]
}Support for VS Code multi-root workspaces.
// Multi-root workspace handling
interface WorkspaceSupport {
// Handle multiple workspace folders
workspaceFolders: WorkspaceFolder[];
// Per-folder configuration
getFolderConfig(folder: WorkspaceFolder): Configuration;
// Cross-folder operations
performCrossFolderOperation(operation: string): void;
// Workspace-specific sessions
getSessionForFolder(folder: WorkspaceFolder): Session;
}Multi-root Features:
Programmatic access to Claude Code functionality from other extensions.
// Extension API
interface ClaudeCodeAPI {
// Session management
createSession(options?: SessionOptions): Promise<Session>;
getCurrentSession(): Session | undefined;
// File operations
analyzeFile(path: string): Promise<Analysis>;
suggestChanges(path: string, context: string): Promise<Change[]>;
// Diagnostics
getDiagnostics(path: string): Diagnostic[];
addDiagnostic(path: string, diagnostic: Diagnostic): void;
// Events
onSessionStart(callback: (session: Session) => void): Disposable;
onFileChange(callback: (change: FileChange) => void): Disposable;
}
// Usage by other extensions
const claudeCode = vscode.extensions.getExtension('anthropic.claude-code');
const api = claudeCode?.exports as ClaudeCodeAPI;
if (api) {
const session = await api.createSession();
const analysis = await api.analyzeFile('src/main.ts');
}Integration with VS Code debugging capabilities.
// Debug integration
interface DebugIntegration {
// Debug session awareness
onDebugSessionStart(session: DebugSession): void;
onDebugSessionStop(session: DebugSession): void;
// Variable inspection
inspectVariable(variable: Variable): Promise<VariableAnalysis>;
// Call stack analysis
analyzeCallStack(stack: StackFrame[]): Promise<StackAnalysis>;
// Breakpoint suggestions
suggestBreakpoints(file: string): Promise<BreakpointSuggestion[]>;
}Debug Features:
Optimize extension performance for large codebases.
{
"performance": {
// File size limits
"maxFileSize": "1MB",
"maxTotalFiles": 1000,
// Debouncing
"debounceTime": 500,
"batchChanges": true,
// Exclusions
"excludePatterns": [
"node_modules/**",
".git/**",
"dist/**",
"build/**"
],
// Memory management
"maxMemoryUsage": "256MB",
"cleanupInterval": 300000
}
}Performance Features:
Built-in troubleshooting tools for IDE integration issues.
# Extension diagnostics
"Claude Code: Show Logs" # View extension logs
"Claude Code: Run Diagnostics" # Run diagnostic checks
"Claude Code: Reset Connection" # Reset IDE connection
"Claude Code: Clear Cache" # Clear extension cache
"Claude Code: Report Issue" # Report bug with logsTroubleshooting Features: