The Claude Code VS Code extension connects your editor to Claude Code running in the terminal, enabling context-aware assistance based on your open files and selections.
Installation
Install Claude Code
Make sure Claude Code CLI is installed and authenticated:npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
claude /login
Install the VS Code extension
Search for “Claude Code” in the VS Code Extensions panel (Ctrl+Shift+X) and install it.
Open a project
Open your project folder in VS Code. The extension connects automatically when you start Claude Code in that directory.
Start Claude Code
Open a terminal in VS Code (Ctrl+“) and run:The extension detects the running instance and establishes the bridge connection. Features
Current file context
Claude automatically knows what file you have open:
> Explain what this file does
> Add error handling to this module
> Write tests for the functions in this file
Selection-based editing
Highlight code in VS Code, then ask Claude to work on it:
> Refactor this selection to be more readable
> What does this selected code do?
> Convert this to TypeScript
Navigate to code
Claude can open files and jump to specific lines in VS Code:
> Show me where parseToken is defined
> Open the auth middleware
Diff view
Proposed file changes appear as diffs in VS Code’s standard diff viewer, letting you review and accept/reject changes line by line.
The /desktop command
The /desktop command hands off a terminal session to the Claude desktop app, which integrates with VS Code at a deeper level:
Keep the Claude Code terminal visible alongside your editor. The split-view workflow — editor on left, Claude on right — is the most efficient setup.