Claude Code UI

Provides real-time streaming chat interface within VS Code sidebar that accepts natural language queries and returns Claude-generated responses with markdown rendering. Integrates file attachment via @-syntax file search, allowing developers to reference specific files or project context without manual copy-paste. Maintains conversation history within session and supports model selection (Opus, Sonnet) with configurable thinking modes that trade latency for reasoning depth.

Provides real-time, streaming code completions for Python, JavaScript, TypeScript, Go, Rust, and 70+ additional languages using Claude's language understanding. Completions are triggered as developer types and rendered inline within the editor, with support for multi-line function/class generation. Integrates with VS Code's IntelliSense system and respects editor settings for completion triggers and formatting.

Detects Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) environments and automatically maps file paths between Windows and WSL contexts, enabling seamless tool execution and file operations across platform boundaries. Supports multiple WSL distributions and maintains path consistency in file attachments, tool execution, and checkpoint operations.

Provides 'Plan First' mode that instructs Claude to generate a detailed plan before executing code generation, enabling structured and deliberate outputs. Plan is displayed to developer for review before code generation proceeds, allowing approval or modification of approach. Integrates with thinking modes for additional reasoning depth.

Provides visual dashboard for managing available tools (Bash, File Operations, Web Tools) with per-tool enable/disable toggles and configuration options. Dashboard displays tool status, approval mode settings, and execution history. Enables developers to customize which tools Claude can access without modifying configuration files.

Provides 19+ built-in slash commands (e.g., /refactor, /debug, /explain, /summarize) accessible via command picker that trigger specialized Claude prompts for specific code operations. Each command applies domain-specific reasoning to the current file or selection, with results rendered in chat or inline editor. Commands are discoverable via `/` trigger and support chaining within conversation context.

Automatically creates git-based checkpoints of code state during development, allowing developers to restore previous versions via checkpoint restore UI. Integrates with VS Code's source control and maintains checkpoint history with configurable retention (default 30 days). Enables session resumption by restoring code state and conversation context from previous sessions, supporting interrupted workflows.

Enables Claude to execute tools (Bash commands, file operations, web requests) within controlled sandbox with configurable approval modes (all, dangerous, none). Each tool execution requires explicit approval based on danger level, with audit trail of executed operations. Integrates with VS Code's file system and terminal capabilities while maintaining security boundaries through approval gates.

Allows developers to select between Claude Opus and Claude Sonnet models with persistent configuration across sessions. Supports configurable thinking mode intensity (Think, Ultrathink) that trades token consumption for reasoning depth, with real-time token/cost tracking. Model selection applies globally to all chat, completions, and tool operations, enabling cost-quality tradeoffs.

Enables developers to reference project files in chat queries using @-syntax (e.g., @filename.py), which triggers fuzzy file search and attaches file content to Claude context. Supports multi-file attachment in single query, with automatic context window management to fit within model limits. Integrates with VS Code's file explorer and respects .gitignore patterns for indexing.

Supports image attachment in chat queries, allowing developers to share screenshots, diagrams, or error messages with Claude for analysis. Images are processed by Claude's vision capabilities and can inform code generation, debugging, or documentation. Supports common image formats (PNG, JPG, etc.) with automatic encoding for API transmission.

Maintains conversation history within VS Code session with automatic persistence to local storage, enabling developers to resume conversations across editor restarts. Conversation context includes chat messages, file attachments, and model selection state. Supports session resumption with full context restoration, though cross-session conversation history is not documented.

Displays real-time token consumption and estimated API costs for all operations (chat, completions, tool execution) with running totals per session. Integrates cost tracking into UI with visual indicators of token usage, enabling developers to monitor API spending without external tools. Supports cost estimation for different model selections and thinking modes.