Claude Conductor
Orchestrate multiple Claude Code sessions across different projects as editor tabs in a single VS Code window.
Why
Running Claude Code against several projects at once is painful in a plain terminal. This extension turns each session into a first-class editor tab with a persistent sidebar, quick-pick launcher, and idle notifications — so you can work across multiple codebases without losing track of which session needs your attention.
Features
A dedicated "Claude Sessions" panel with two sections:
- Active Sessions — currently running Claude terminals. Click to focus. A green terminal icon means the session is working; an orange bell means it's waiting for your input.
- Recent Projects — your VS Code recently opened folders plus any configured extras. Click to launch a new session.
Quick-Pick Launcher
Press Ctrl+Shift+Alt+C (Mac: Cmd+Shift+Alt+C) to bring up a searchable list of projects. Active sessions appear first — selecting one focuses the tab. Selecting a folder launches a new session there.
Terminal-as-Editor-Tab
Each Claude session opens in the editor area (not the bottom terminal panel), so you can tile them, pin them, and glance at multiple sessions at once like you would with code files.
Idle Notifications
When Claude finishes work and is waiting for your next prompt, you get:
- A bell icon next to the session in the sidebar
- A VS Code notification with a "Focus" button that jumps to that session's tab
If multiple sessions are waiting simultaneously, you get a single consolidated notification that opens a quick-pick to choose which to focus.
Powered by Claude Code hooks — the extension offers to install the hooks on first activation.
Open in New Window (Deep Work)
Each active session has an "Open in New Window" button that launches a dedicated VS Code window scoped to that project, with Claude auto-starting. Good for focused deep-work sessions when you want the rest of VS Code out of the way.
Terminal Link Provider
File paths in Claude's terminal output are clickable — open them directly in the editor without copy-pasting.
Keyboard Navigation
Ctrl+Alt+] — focus the next Claude sessionCtrl+Alt+[ — focus the previous Claude session
Cycles through Claude tabs only, not every terminal or editor tab.
Getting Started
- Install the extension
- Make sure the
claude CLI is on your PATH — see Claude Code installation
- When prompted, click Allow to install notification hooks (adds entries to
~/.claude/settings.json)
- Press
Ctrl+Shift+Alt+C and pick a folder to launch your first session
Configuration
| Setting |
Default |
Description |
claudeSessions.claudeCommand |
"claude" |
CLI command to run in the terminal |
claudeSessions.reuseExistingTerminal |
true |
Focus an existing session tab instead of opening a duplicate |
claudeSessions.enableNotifications |
true |
Show notifications when a session is waiting for input |
claudeSessions.extraFolders |
[] |
Additional folder paths to show in the launcher |
Commands
Available from the command palette (Ctrl+Shift+P):
Claude Sessions: Launch SessionClaude Sessions: Add FolderClaude Sessions: Next Session / Previous SessionClaude Sessions: Setup Notification HooksClaude Sessions: Remove Notification Hooks
How Idle Detection Works
When you allow notification hooks, the extension adds three entries to your ~/.claude/settings.json:
| Hook |
Fires when |
Effect |
Notification + idle_prompt |
Claude has been waiting for input ~60s |
Marks session idle, shows notification, bell icon |
UserPromptSubmit |
You submit a prompt |
Marks session active, clears notification |
Stop |
Session ends |
Cleans up state file |
The hooks write state files to ~/.claude/session-state/ which the extension watches. Only your VS Code extension reads these files — no data leaves your machine.
To remove the hooks at any time: run Claude Sessions: Remove Notification Hooks from the command palette.
Requirements
Known Limitations
- Session tracking only works within a single VS Code window (sessions in other windows aren't visible in the sidebar)
- The idle notification fires after Claude Code's built-in ~60-second idle threshold — not tunable from the extension
- VS Code terminal tabs cannot change color or flash after creation, so "attention" is communicated via sidebar bell icons and notifications rather than tab-level indicators
Source
github.com/cbeaulieu-gt/vscode-claude-conductor
License
MIT
