Claude Runner

A Visual Studio Code extension that provides a seamless interface for executing Claude Code commands directly from your development environment.

Features

• Model Selection: Choose from all available Claude models (Opus 4, Sonnet 4, Sonnet 3.7, Haiku 3.5)
• Interactive Mode: Launch Claude in a terminal
• Task Mode: Execute specific prompts and view results in a new terminal
• Pipeline System: Define and execute reusable task sequences with model flexibility
• Execution Logging: Comprehensive logging of all pipeline runs with metrics
• Estimated cost: Modern webview-based interface integrated with VS Code (credit for ccusage for workflow)
• Conversation logs: Parse and review conversation logs directly in vscode

Installation

Prerequisites

1. Claude Code CLI: This extension requires the Claude Code CLI to be installed and available in your PATH.
   • Visit Claude Code for installation instructions
   • Verify installation with claude --version

From VSIX

1. Download the latest .vsix file from releases
2. In VS Code, open Command Palette (Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+P)
3. Run Extensions: Install from VSIX...
4. Select the downloaded .vsix file

Usage

Quick Start

1. Open the Claude Runner panel from the Activity Bar
2. Select your preferred Claude model
3. Configure the root path (defaults to current workspace)
4. Choose between Interactive or Task mode

Interactive Mode

Click Run Interactive to:

• Open a new terminal with Claude ready for conversation
• Use the selected model and root path
• Interact directly with Claude in the terminal

Task Mode

Click Run Task to:

• Enter a specific prompt or task
• Execute in the background with chosen model
• View results in a new editor tab
• Configure advanced options (output format, max turns, etc.)

Pipeline Mode

Define and execute multi-task workflows:

• Create Pipelines: Chain multiple tasks with dependencies
• Model Flexibility: Use different models for different tasks
• Session Continuity: Tasks can share context
• Save & Load: Store pipelines for reuse
• Real-time Progress: Monitor task execution with live updates

Creating a Pipeline

1. Add tasks in the Task tab
2. Configure each task:
   • Name and description
   • Model selection (per-task)
   • Prompt
   • Session continuation settings
3. Click "Save as Pipeline"
4. Enter pipeline name and description

Loading a Pipeline

1. Select from available pipelines dropdown
2. Click "Load Pipeline"
3. Modify if needed
4. Run the pipeline

See examples/ directory for sample pipelines.

Model Selection

Choose from available Claude models:

• Claude Opus 4: Most capable, highest cost (Not available if you use Pro subscription)
• Claude Sonnet 4: Balanced performance and cost
• Claude Sonnet 3.7: Good performance, moderate cost
• Claude Haiku 3.5: Fastest, lowest cost

Configuration

Access settings through:

• VS Code Settings (Ctrl/Cmd+,) → Search "Claude Runner"
• Command Palette → "Claude Runner: Open Settings"
• Settings panel in the Claude Runner view

Key settings:

• Default model selection
• Root path configuration
• Tool permission settings

Commands

Available through Command Palette (Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+P):

• Claude Runner: Show Panel - Open the main panel
• Claude Runner: Run Interactive Mode - Quick interactive launch
• Claude Runner: Run Task - Quick task execution
• Claude Runner: Select Model - Change default model
• Claude Runner: Open Settings - Access configuration

Tool Permissions

The extension provides control over Claude's tool access:

• Allow All Tools: Uses --dangerously-skip-permissions flag

• Default: Claude asks for permission before using tools

  Security Note: "Allow All Tools" bypasses safety prompts. Use with caution in trusted environments only.

Advanced Features

Task Mode Options

• Output Format: Text, JSON, or Streaming JSON
• Max Turns: Limit conversation length (1-50)
• Verbose Output: Show detailed execution information
• Custom System Prompts: Add additional instructions

Terminal Integration

• Automatic terminal creation and management
• Working directory set to configured root path

Development

Setup

# Install dependencies
make setup

# Build extension only (compile) and uninstall extension
make dev-preprare

# install extension
make dev-install

# Run tests
make test

# Build for production
make build-vsix

Project Structure

src/
├── extension.ts           # Main extension entry point
├── providers/            # VS Code providers
├── services/            # Business logic services
└── src/            # React-based UI
    ├── App.tsx         # Main app component
    └── components/     # React components

Architecture

The extension follows a clean architecture pattern:

• Extension Host: Manages VS Code integration and lifecycle
• Services Layer: Handles Claude Code CLI interaction and configuration
• Webview UI: React-based interface for user interaction
• Message Passing: Communication between extension and webview

Troubleshooting

Claude Code Not Found

# Check installation
claude --version

# If not found, install Claude Code CLI
# Visit https://claude.ai/code for instructions

Permission Issues

• Ensure Claude Code CLI has necessary permissions
• Check workspace folder permissions
• Verify tool permission settings

Terminal Issues

• Check VS Code terminal settings
• Verify shell configuration
• Try restarting VS Code

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Make your changes
4. Add tests if applicable
5. Run make validate to check code quality
6. Submit a pull request

License

GPL-3.0 - See LICENSE file for details.

Support

• Report issues on GitHub
• Check troubleshooting section
• Review Claude Code documentation

Changelog

See CHANGELOG.md for release history.

Credit

Ccusage for the idea of usage parsing. Claaude code log for the idea of parsing conversations. Anthropic team for the great Claude code & the SDK.