Claude Code VS Code extension and JetBrains plugin: install and features

What are the Claude Code VS Code extension and JetBrains plugin?

Claude Code started as a terminal tool. Anthropic also ships two IDE integrations. They are built differently, and the difference decides what you install.

Both need an Anthropic account: any paid Claude subscription (Pro, Max, Ultra, Team or Enterprise) or a Claude Console account, and no API key is required. As of October 2026, check Claude Code pricing for what each plan includes. The free claude.ai plan does not include Claude Code.

How do you install the Claude Code extension for VS Code?

1. Check that you have VS Code 1.94.0 or later and an Anthropic account.
2. Open the Extensions view with Cmd+Shift+X (Mac) or Ctrl+Shift+X (Windows and Linux), search for “Claude Code”, and click Install. The extension ID is anthropic.claude-code.
3. If the extension does not appear afterward, restart VS Code or run Developer: Reload Window from the Command Palette.
4. Click the Spark icon in the Editor Toolbar (top right, visible when a file is open), or click ✻ Claude Code in the status bar, or open the Command Palette and choose a “Claude Code” entry such as Open in New Tab.
5. On first open, click Sign in and finish authorization in your browser.
6. Type a prompt. A “Learn Claude Code” checklist appears after sign-in; you can work through it or dismiss it.

The official VS Code page also lists direct install links for VS Code and for Cursor. Other VS Code forks such as Devin Desktop and Kiro can install the same extension from their own Extensions view or from the Open VSX Registry. In an editor that cannot install it, install the CLI and run claude in the integrated terminal instead.

If you set ANTHROPIC_API_KEY in your shell and still see the sign-in prompt, VS Code may not have inherited your shell environment. Launch it from a terminal with code . so it does, or sign in with your Claude account.

What does a first session in VS Code look like?

Claude automatically sees your selected text. Press Option+K (Mac) or Alt+K (Windows and Linux) to also insert an @-mention such as @file.ts#5-10 into your prompt. You can type @ followed by a file or folder name to reference it, and the matching is fuzzy, so partial names work. Add a trailing slash for a folder.

Explain the logic in @auth (fuzzy matches auth.js, AuthService.ts, etc.)

What does this function do, and what could go wrong when the input is empty? (with the function selected)

/plan add a loading state to the checkout button and a test for it

Then review the changes. What you see depends on the permission mode shown at the bottom of the prompt box:

In Manual mode you can accept, reject, or tell Claude what to do instead. If you edit the proposed content in the diff before accepting, Claude is told, so it does not assume the file matches its original proposal. With Claude Code v2.1.275 or later, each change in a diff has its own Accept this change and Reject this change buttons, also available as the Command Palette commands Claude Code: Accept Change at Cursor and Reject Change at Cursor.

/plan switches to plan mode, /plan with a task switches and starts planning it, and /plan open opens the plan file in the editor. All three need Claude Code v2.1.280 or later. For the workflow around plan mode, read Claude Code plan mode.

What can the VS Code extension do?

• Attach context: @-mention files and folders, paste or attach images and files, read specific pages of a PDF, and include terminal output in a prompt.
• Pick a model and effort: choose Switch model… from the command menu, or click the model name at the bottom of the prompt box. When the model supports effort levels, the picker shows an Effort row.
• Command menu: type / to open it. The Customize section links to MCP servers, hooks, memory, instructions, permissions and plugins. /skills opens a list of skills, and /status shows version, account, model and MCP servers.
• Side questions: /btw followed by a question answers in a side panel without adding to the conversation.
• Checkpoints: hover over a message to reveal the rewind button. Options are fork the conversation from here, rewind the code to here, or do both.
• Several conversations: use Open in New Tab or Open in New Window. A colored dot on the Spark icon shows status: blue means a permission request is pending; orange means Claude finished while the tab was hidden.
• Resume past conversations: the extension and the CLI share the same history. Run claude --resume in a terminal to continue an extension conversation there.
• Agent map: when a conversation uses subagents, an agent count appears at the bottom of the prompt box. Click it to see each subagent’s status, elapsed time and token count.
• Git: ask “commit my changes with a descriptive message” or “create a pr for this feature”, as in the CLI.
• Plugins and MCP: manage plugins and marketplaces from the extension, and add MCP servers with /mcp in the chat panel.
• Remote Control: type /remote-control or /rc to continue the session from your phone or a browser; see Claude Code Remote Control.

You can drag the Claude panel anywhere: the secondary sidebar on the right to keep it visible while you code, the primary sidebar, or the editor area as a tab. The docs suggest the sidebar for your main session and extra tabs for side tasks.

What are the keyboard shortcuts?

Open the Command Palette (Cmd+Shift+P or Ctrl+Shift+P) and type “Claude Code” to see every extension command.

Which settings matter?

Open settings with Cmd+, or Ctrl+, and go to Extensions > Claude Code. The ones people change most:

Settings shared with the CLI live in ~/.claude/settings.json: allowed commands, environment variables, hooks and MCP servers. Add "$schema": "https://json.schemastore.org/claude-code-settings.json" to that file for autocomplete and validation in VS Code.

Keep .env and other sensitive files out of context with a Read deny rule for the path. The docs say a matching deny rule prevents both the selected text and the open-file notice for that file from reaching Claude.

Extension or CLI: which one should you use?

Both run the same Claude Code. The docs list the differences:

A reasonable split: use the extension for reading diffs, reviewing plans and @-mentioning code you have selected. Use the CLI for anything that needs the full command list or the ! shortcut. You can do both in one window. Press ` Ctrl+ ` (Windows and Linux) or Cmd+ ` (Mac) to open the integrated terminal and run claude; it connects to the IDE automatically for diff viewing and diagnostics. If you work in an external terminal, run /ide` inside Claude Code to connect it to VS Code. If you prefer the CLI look inside the editor, turn on the Use Terminal setting.

Behind the scenes, the extension runs a local MCP server called ide that the CLI connects to. It binds to 127.0.0.1 on a random port, protects the connection with a fresh random token written to a lock file readable only by you, and is hidden from /mcp. You only need to know it exists if your organization uses a PreToolUse hook to allowlist MCP tools.

How do you set up Claude Code in a JetBrains IDE?

The plugin runs the claude command in your IDE’s integrated terminal and connects to it. It does not bundle its own CLI, so you install two pieces.

1. Install the CLI by following the quickstart. If claude is not on your PATH, the plugin shows a “Cannot launch Claude Code” notification.
2. Install the Claude Code plugin from the JetBrains Marketplace and restart the IDE.
3. Run claude from the IDE’s integrated terminal. All integration features are then active.

To connect from an external terminal instead, run claude and then /ide. Success prints a message such as “Connected to IntelliJ IDEA.” Start Claude Code from the IDE project’s root so it sees the same files as the IDE.

Plugin settings are under Settings → Tools → Claude Code [Beta]. The plugin is labeled Beta. You can set a custom Claude command there. WSL users can use wsl -d Ubuntu -- bash -lic "claude" with their own distribution name. If the ESC key does not interrupt Claude in the JetBrains terminal, uncheck “Move focus to the editor with Escape” under Settings → Tools → Terminal. With JetBrains Remote Development, install the plugin on the remote host, not on your local client.

What do you do when an IDE integration does not work?

• Spark icon missing in VS Code: the toolbar icon needs a file open; a folder alone is not enough. Also check the VS Code version (Help > About), reload the window, temporarily disable other AI extensions, and make sure the workspace is trusted, because the extension does not work in Restricted Mode. The ✻ Claude Code entry in the status bar works even with no file open.
• Extension will not install: confirm VS Code is 1.94.0 or later, that VS Code has permission to install extensions, or install directly from the Visual Studio Marketplace page.
• `Cmd+Esc` does nothing on macOS: the docs say that on macOS Tahoe and later the system Game Overlay shortcut is bound to Cmd+Esc and intercepts it. Clear the Game Overlay checkbox under System Settings > Keyboard > Keyboard Shortcuts > Game Controllers, or rebind Claude Code: Focus input in VS Code’s Keyboard Shortcuts editor.
• “No available IDEs detected” after `/ide`: confirm the plugin is installed and enabled, restart the IDE completely, and launch claude from the IDE’s own terminal if you expected an automatic connection.
• Claude Code never responds in VS Code: check your connection, start a new conversation, then run claude in a terminal to see more detailed error messages.

What should you build first with the extension?

Pick something with one screen and a clear test. The board has plenty: browse the productivity ideas or the developer tool ideas, copy the generated build prompt from an idea, and paste it into the chat panel in Plan mode. Read the plan before you let Claude edit. For the loop after that, see the Claude Code workflow guide.