A Visual Studio extension that provides seamless integration with Claude Code, OpenAI Codex, Cursor Agent, Qwen Code or Open Code directly within the Visual Studio IDE.
- Embedded terminal within Visual Studio supporting multiple AI providers
- Automatic workspace directory detection when loading solutions
- Seamless command execution without leaving the IDE
- Claude Code: Full support for Claude Code CLI integration (Windows native)
- Claude Code (WSL): Support for Claude Code running inside WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux)
- OpenAI Codex: Support for Codex AI assistant running inside WSL
- Cursor Agent: Support for Cursor Agent running inside WSL
- Qwen Code: Support for Qwen Code AI assistant (requires Node.js 20+)
- Open Code: Support for Open Code AI assistant (requires Node.js 14+)
- Provider Switching: Easy dropdown menu to switch between providers
- Smart Detection: Automatic detection and installation instructions for each AI tool
- Claude Model Selection: Quick model switching for Claude Code (Opus, Sonnet, Haiku) with dropdown menu
- Send with Enter: Toggle between Enter-to-send and manual send modes
- Shift+Enter or Ctrl+Enter: Create new lines when Send with Enter is enabled
- Manual Send Button: Appears when Send with Enter is disabled
- Clipboard Paste: Use Ctrl+V to paste images from clipboard in the prompt area (text content like Excel cells will paste as text)
- File Browser: Click "Add File" to select up to 5 files from file system
- Supported File Types: Images, PDFs, documents (Word, text), spreadsheets (Excel, CSV), data files (JSON, XML, YAML), code files, and more
- File Chips: Visual representation of attached files with remove functionality
- Clickable Chips: Click on file chips to open and view files
- Smart Paste: Excel cells and other text content paste as text, not images
- Smart History: Automatically saves up to 50 most recent prompts
- Quick Navigation: Use Ctrl+Up/Ctrl+Down to browse through previous prompts
- Clear Option: Right-click in prompt area to clear history
- Persistent Storage: History saved between Visual Studio sessions
- Solution Detection: Automatically detects and switches to solution directory
- Dynamic Updates: Terminal restarts when switching between solutions
- Fallback Handling: Smart directory resolution when no solution is open
- JSON Configuration: Settings stored in
%LocalAppData%\..\Local\ClaudeCodeExtension\claudecode-settings.json - Send with Enter State: Remembers your preferred input mode
- Splitter Position: Maintains your preferred layout between sessions
- AI Provider Selection: Remembers your preferred AI assistant
- Claude Model Selection: Remembers your last selected Claude model (Opus, Sonnet, or Haiku)
- Dark/Light Theme: Consistent with Visual Studio's dark/light theme
- Resizable Layout: Adjustable splitter between prompt and terminal areas
- Native Controls: Follows Visual Studio UI conventions
- Dynamic Titles: Window title changes based on selected AI provider
- Visual Studio 2022 or 2026 (x64 and ARM64 supported)
- Windows operating system
- For Claude Code (Windows): Claude Pro or better paid subscription + Claude Code CLI installed and accessible via
claudein path. Refer to https://docs.claude.com/en/docs/claude-code/setup for Claude Code installation - For Claude Code (WSL): Claude Pro or better paid subscription + Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) + Claude Code CLI installed inside WSL Installation instructions are provided automatically if not installed
- For OpenAI Codex: Chat GPT Plus or better paid subscription + Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) + Codex AI assistant installed inside WSL Installation instructions are provided automatically if not installed
- For Cursor Agent: Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) + Cursor Agent installed inside WSL Installation instructions are provided automatically if not installed
- For Qwen Code: Node.js version 20 or higher + Qwen Code CLI installed and accessible via
qwenin path. Installation instructions are provided automatically if not installed - For Open Code: Node.js version 14 or higher + Open Code CLI installed and accessible via
opencodein path. Installation instructions are provided automatically if not installed
- Download the latest VSIX package
- Double-click the VSIX file to install
- Restart Visual Studio
- Open the extension via View → Other Windows → Claude Code Extension
If the terminal opens in a separate window instead of inside the extension: Open Windows Settings, search for "Terminal settings", and set the Terminal option to "Windows Console Host".
- First-Time Setup: Verify that your preferred AI provider (Claude Code, Claude Code WSL, OpenAI Codex, Cursor Agent, or Qwen Code) is installed and accessible
- Open the Tool Window: View → Other Windows → Claude Code Extension
- Select an AI Provider: Click the ⚙ (gear) button and choose among Claude Code, Claude Code (WSL), Codex, Cursor Agent, Qwen Code, or Open Code
- Connect to Provider: If you use Open Code, press Ctrl+P, search for "connect providers", and complete the authentication flow
- Select a Claude Model: Click the 🤖 (robot) button to choose Opus, Sonnet, or Haiku (available only when Claude Code is selected)
- Start a Session: Enter your prompt and press Enter
- Attach Files: Use Ctrl+V to paste or click the "Add File" button
- Customize: Toggle "Send with Enter" and adjust the layout as needed
- Open the Tool Window: Navigate to View → Other Windows → Claude Code Extension
- Select an AI Provider: Click the ⚙ (gear) button and choose your preferred assistant
- Enter Prompts: Type your questions or requests in the prompt area
- Attach Files: Paste images/text with Ctrl+V or use the "Add File" button to attach up to five files
- Send Messages: Press Enter (if enabled) or click the Send button
- Review Responses: Read responses in the embedded terminal and interact with it directly as needed
- Review Code Changes: Use the integrated diff tool to compare code changes in a new tab while the AI is working
- Browse Previous Prompts: Press Ctrl+Up to navigate to older prompts in your history
- Browse Forward: Press Ctrl+Down to move to newer prompts or return to current text
- View Attached Files: Click on any file chip to open and view the file
- Clear History: Right-click in the prompt area and select "Clear Prompt History"
- Automatic Saving: Your last 50 prompts are automatically saved between sessions
- Settings Menu: Click the ⚙ (gear) button in the top-right corner to access provider settings
- Claude Code: Switch to Claude Code CLI integration (Windows native)
- Claude Code (WSL): Switch to Claude Code running inside WSL
- Codex: Switch to Codex AI assistant (runs inside WSL)
- Cursor Agent: Switch to Cursor Agent (runs inside WSL)
- Open Code: Switch to Open Code AI assistant (Windows)
- Qwen Code: Switch to Qwen Code AI assistant (requires Node.js 20+)
- About: View extension version and information
- Model Menu: Click the 🤖 (robot) button to access Claude model selection (only visible when Claude Code or Claude Code WSL is selected)
- Opus - Complex tasks: Switch to Claude Opus for complex, multi-step tasks requiring deep reasoning
- Sonnet - Everyday tasks: Switch to Claude Sonnet for balanced performance on everyday coding tasks (default)
- Haiku - Easy tasks: Switch to Claude Haiku for quick, straightforward tasks with faster responses
- Instant Switching: Model changes are applied immediately by sending the
/modelcommand to the running terminal - Persistent Selection: Your model choice is saved and restored between Visual Studio sessions
- Send with Enter: Check/uncheck the checkbox to toggle sending behavior
- Layout: Drag the splitter to adjust the prompt/terminal ratio
- AI Provider: Use the context menu to switch between available providers
- Settings Persist Automatically: Preferences are saved between Visual Studio sessions
The extension includes an Update Agent button (🔄️) that updates your selected AI provider:
- Claude Code (Windows): Exits the agent and runs
claude update - Claude Code (WSL): Exits the agent and runs
claude updateinside WSL - Codex: Exits the agent and runs
npm install -g @openai/codex@latestinside WSL - Cursor Agent: Exits the agent and runs
cursor-agent updateinside WSL - Open Code: Exits the agent and runs
npm i -g opencode-ai - Qwen Code: Exits the agent (using /quit command) and runs
npm install -g @qwen-code/qwen-code@latestto update
Click the update button and the extension will handle the update process. Agents use the appropriate exit methods before updating (exit command for most, double CTRL+C for Codex, /quit command for Qwen Code).
- Repository-Wide Diff Tracking: Fixed diff tool to detect all changed files across the entire git repository, not just files within the opened solution directory
- Files in other projects/directories within the same git repository are now properly detected
- Modified files outside the solution directory now correctly show as "Modified" instead of "Created"
- Uses git baseline (
git show HEAD:path) to get original file content for accurate diff comparison
- Auto-Scroll for Diff View: New auto-scroll feature that follows changes as the AI agent codes
- Automatically enables when new changes are detected
- Scrolls to show the latest modified files
- Automatically disables after 3 seconds of inactivity
- Toggle button (↓↓) to manually enable/disable auto-scroll
- Improved performance for large repositories using git (tested with .net runtime repo with 57k+ files)
- Fix extension description
- Performance Optimizations for Diff Tool: Improved performance for large projects
- Static window title ("Code Changes") instead of dynamic updates with line counts
- Git status polling now only runs when the diff tab is active
- File watcher pauses when diff tab is hidden, resumes with forced refresh when activated
- Reduces CPU and I/O overhead when working with large repositories
- Zoom Support: Use Ctrl+Scroll to zoom in/out on the diff view (50% to 300%)
- Additional Tracked File Types: Added support for
.vsixmanifest,.csproj,.vbproj,.fsproj,.sln,.props,.targets,.resx, and.settingsfiles
- Integrated Diff Tool: Major release adding a built-in diff tool for comparing code changes in a new tab.
- This is a large new feature and will be stabilized in future releases. If you find issues, please open an issue in the Git repository.
- Supports both Git projects and standalone projects.
- Updated License & Usage Section: Clarified that the extension is free for all users including commercial/internal use
- Data Privacy Documentation: Added links to data retention policies for all supported AI providers (Claude Code, OpenAI Codex, Cursor, Qwen Code, Open Code)
- Contact Information: Added author contact email for licensing inquiries
- Enhanced File Support: "Add Image" button renamed to "Add File" with support for multiple file types
- Increased File Limit: Now supports up to 5 file attachments (previously 3 images)
- Common File Formats: Added support for documents (PDF, Word, text), spreadsheets (Excel, CSV), data files (JSON, XML, YAML), code files, and more
- Flexible File Selection: File browser now accepts all file types (.) plus convenient filters for common formats
- Fixed Excel cell paste issue - Excel data now pastes as text instead of as an image
- Clipboard text content is now prioritized over image formats to ensure proper paste behavior
- Fixed UI lag when typing in prompt textbox by replacing polling-based theme detection with event-driven approach
- Performance improvements
- Fix issues setting Sonnet model in some scenarios
New Features:
- Open Code Support: Added support for open code integration
- Fixes for products supported
New Features:
- ARM64 Support: Added support for ARM64 architecture, enabling the extension to run on Visual Studio 2022/2026 ARM64 versions (e.g., Surface Pro X, Windows Dev Kit 2023, and other ARM-based Windows devices)
Improvements:
- Clipboard Preservation: The extension now preserves and restores your original clipboard content when sending commands to the AI agent
- Supports all clipboard content types including Office data (Excel cells, Word content), images, files, HTML, and RTF
- Excel cells are restored properly so you can paste them back as cells (not as images)
- Your clipboard contents are automatically saved before sending a command and restored afterward
- No more losing copied content when interacting with the AI terminal
New Features:
- Claude Model Selection Dropdown: Added a new 🤖 (robot) button next to the provider settings that allows quick switching between Claude models
- Opus: For complex, multi-step tasks requiring deep reasoning
- Sonnet: For everyday coding tasks with balanced performance (default)
- Haiku: For quick, straightforward tasks with faster responses
- Fixed instructions and about screens
- Qwen Code support. And yes, it was developed with Qwen Code itself for testing purposes. Images not supported.
- Fix issues hiding terminal in tab switching
- Native Claude Code support for Windows
New Features:
- Clickable Image Chips: Click on attached image chips to open and view the images
- VS 2026 Support: Extended compatibility to support Visual Studio 2026
Improvements:
- Prompt History: Added prompt history feature to prevent lost prompts (navigate with Ctrl+Up/Ctrl+Down, clear with context menu)
Updated Install Instructions:
- Added troubleshooting tips for installation issues
Simplified Window Titles:
- Window title now shows "Claude Code" for all Claude Code variants (native Windows and WSL)
- Removed "(WSL)" suffix from window titles for cleaner UI experience
- All Claude Code installations now share the same display name in the tool window
WSL Initialization Fix:
- Fixed WSL-based agents (Claude Code WSL, Codex, Cursor Agent) not being detected right after system boot
- Added intelligent retry logic with progressive timeouts (5s, 8s, 12s) for WSL agent detection
- Implements up to 3 detection attempts with 2-second delays between retries to handle WSL initialization delays
- Improved reliability when opening Visual Studio immediately after boot
- Enhanced debug logging for better troubleshooting of WSL-related issues
Claude Code WSL Support & Simplified Exit Logic:
- Added new Claude Code (WSL) option for running Claude Code inside WSL
- Follows the same WSL integration pattern as Codex and Cursor Agent
- Simplified update agent logic: all agents now use
exit<enter>command consistently - Improved terminal restart logic with unified exit handling for all providers
- Enhanced enter key handling for WSL-based providers (Claude Code WSL, Codex, Cursor Agent)
- Automatic detection and installation instructions for Claude Code in WSL environments
Codex WSL Integration & Exit Improvements:
- Codex now runs inside WSL for better compatibility and performance
- Improved Codex exit handling: right-click terminal center before sending Ctrl+C
- Fixed AI provider switching to correctly exit the current provider (not the new one being selected)
- Smart provider tracking ensures proper exit commands for each AI assistant
- Consistent WSL-based architecture for both Codex and Cursor Agent
Agent Update Button:
- Added Update Agent button with refresh icon for easy agent updates
- Smart update command execution based on selected provider:
- Claude Code: Runs
claude updatecommand - Codex: Runs
npm install -g @openai/codex@latestinside WSL - Cursor Agent: Runs
cursor-agent updateinside WSL
- Claude Code: Runs
- Convenient one-click updates without manually typing commands
VS Restart Fix:
- Fixed terminal not opening when Visual Studio restarts with a solution already loaded
- Extension now detects when a solution is already open on startup and initializes terminal immediately
- Improves reliability when working with solutions across VS sessions
What's New:
- Clean Single-Border Design: Redesigned the UI with elegant single borders around prompt and terminal areas - no more double borders!
- Better Contrast: Borders now use high-contrast colors (white in dark mode, black in light mode) for improved visibility
- Smarter Startup: Terminal now initializes only when you open a solution, not when the extension loads - faster and more efficient!
- Improved Solution Switching: When switching between solutions, the AI assistant properly reloads with the new workspace context
- Bug Fixes: Fixed various initialization and workspace detection issues for a smoother experience
Cursor Agent Support:
- Added full support for Cursor Agent running inside Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL)
- Automatic WSL detection and path conversion for seamless integration
- Comprehensive installation guide displayed when WSL or Cursor Agent is not detected
Improvements:
- Better AI provider persistence across solution changes
- Enhanced provider detection and switching logic
Behind the Scenes:
- Major code reorganization for better maintainability (split into 13 specialized files)
- Added comprehensive documentation throughout the codebase
- No changes to functionality - everything works exactly the same!
Stability Improvements:
- Fixed extension re-initialization issue when switching between windows
- Prevents multiple terminal instances from being created
- More reliable overall behavior
File Management & UI:
- Automatic cleanup of temporary image directories on startup
- Simpler image naming:
image_1.png,image_2.pnginstead of long timestamps - Each prompt with images gets its own unique folder to prevent conflicts
- Fixed gear icon (⚙) display in settings button
Multi-Provider Support:
- Added OpenAI Codex as a second AI assistant option
- Easy switching between Claude Code and Codex via settings menu
- Window title shows which AI provider you're currently using
- Your provider choice is saved between sessions
Visual & Usability:
- Theme support: Extension now follows Visual Studio's light/dark theme
- Better icon display in the View menu
- Helpful installation instructions if Claude Code is not found
- Fixed image pasting issues
Initial Release:
-
Embedded AI assistant terminal right in Visual Studio
-
Send prompts with Enter (or use Shift+Enter for new lines)
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Full image support: paste, drag & drop, or browse for files
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Automatic workspace detection when opening solutions
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All your preferences saved automatically
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In rare cases for some machines terminal might lauch outside the extension and fatal error "Stop code: KERNEL_SECURITY_CHECK_FAILURE (0x139)" can happen. Workaround right now is to run VS.NET as Administrator.
This extension is provided free of charge under the MIT License.
- Free for All: The extension is free to use for personal, educational, and commercial purposes
- Output Ownership: All prompts, source code, and generated outputs belong to the user
- Internal Use: Commercial organizations may use this extension internally without restriction
- No Reselling: The extension itself may not be sold commercially
- No Unauthorized Clones: Creating derivative extensions requires author permission
- Local Storage: Up to 50 prompts are cached locally at
%LocalAppData%\ClaudeCodeExtension\claudecode-settings.json - Cloud Processing: All prompts are sent to the configured AI provider
- Data Retention: Follows each provider's data usage policy:
- No Third-Party Access: Data is only accessible to the configured model provider
For licensing inquiries or permission requests, please contact the author at dliedke@gmail.com.
Claude Code Extension for Visual Studio - Enhancing your AI-assisted development workflow
Build with the help of Claude Opus 4.5, Claude Code, GPT-5 and Qwen Code