Claude Code Extension for Visual Studio

A Visual Studio extension that provides seamless integration with Claude Code, OpenAI Codex or Cursor Agent directly within the Visual Studio IDE.

Features

🎯 Integrated Terminal

• Embedded terminal within Visual Studio supporting multiple AI providers
• Automatic workspace directory detection when loading solutions
• Seamless command execution without leaving the IDE

🤖 Multiple AI Provider Support

• 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+)
• 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

⌨️ Smart Send Controls

• 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

🖼️ Image Support

• Clipboard Paste: Use Ctrl+V to paste images from clipboard in the prompt area
• File Browser: Click "Add Image" to select images from file system
• Image Chips: Visual representation of attached images with remove functionality
• Clickable Chips: Click on image chips to open and view images

📝 Prompt History

• 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

🔧 Workspace Intelligence

• 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

💾 Persistent Settings

• 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)

🎨 Visual Studio Integration

• 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

System Requirements

• Visual Studio 2022 or 2026
• Windows operating system
• For Claude Code (Windows): Claude Pro or better paid subscription + Claude Code CLI installed and accessible via claude in 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 qwen in path. Installation instructions are provided automatically if not installed

Installation

1. Download the latest VSIX package
2. Double-click the VSIX file to install
3. Restart Visual Studio
4. Open the extension via View → Other Windows → Claude Code Extension

In case terminal is opening in a new window and not inside the extension: Open windows settings, search for "Terminal settings", change Terminal option to "Windows Console Host".

Quick Start

• First Time Setup: Ensure your preferred AI provider (Claude Code, Claude Code WSL, OpenAI Codex, Cursor Agent, or Qwen Code) is installed and accessible
• Open Tool Window: View → Other Windows → Claude Code Extension
• Choose AI Provider: Click the ⚙ (gear) button to select between Claude Code, Claude Code (WSL), Codex, Cursor Agent, and Qwen Code
• Select Claude Model: Click the 🤖 (robot) button to choose between Opus, Sonnet, or Haiku (only visible when Claude Code is selected)
• Start Chatting: Type your prompt and press Enter
• Add Images: Use Ctrl+V to paste or click "Add Image" button
• Customize: Toggle "Send with Enter" and adjust layout as needed

Usage

1. Open the Tool Window: Navigate to View → Other Windows → Claude Code Extension
2. Select AI Provider: Click the ⚙ (gear) button and choose your preferred AI assistant
3. Enter Prompts: Type your questions or requests in the prompt area
4. Add Images: Drag & drop, paste, or use the "Add Image" button
5. Send Messages: Press Enter (if enabled) or click the Send button
6. View Responses: See AI responses in the embedded terminal below and also interact with it directly

Working with Prompt History

• 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 Images: Click on any image chip to open and view the image
• Clear History: Right-click in the prompt area and select "Clear Prompt History"
• Automatic Saving: Your last 50 prompts are automatically saved between sessions

AI Provider Menu

• 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)
• Qwen Code: Switch to Qwen Code AI assistant (requires Node.js 20+)
• About: View extension version and information

Claude Model Selection Menu

• 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 /model command to the running terminal
• Persistent Selection: Your model choice is saved and restored between Visual Studio sessions

Customization

• 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 between Visual Studio sessions

Updating Your AI Agent

The extension includes a convenient Update Agent button (🔄️) that automatically updates your selected AI provider:

• Claude Code (Windows): Exits the agent and runs claude update
• Claude Code (WSL): Exits the agent and runs claude update inside WSL
• Codex: Exits the agent and runs npm install -g @openai/codex@latest inside WSL
• Cursor Agent: Exits the agent and runs cursor-agent update inside WSL
• Qwen Code: Exits the agent (using /quit command) and runs npm install -g @qwen-code/qwen-code@latest to update

Simply click the update button and the extension will handle the entire update process for you. Agents use appropriate exit methods (exit command for most, double CTRL+C for Codex, /quit command for Qwen Code) before updating.

Version History

Version 3.3

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

Version 3.2

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

Version 3.1

• Fixed instructions and about screens

Version 3.0

• Qwen Code support. And yes, it was developed with Qwen Code itself for testing purposes. Images not supported.

Version 2.8

• Fix issues hiding terminal in tab switching

Version 2.7

• Native Claude Code support for Windows

Version 2.6

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)

Version 2.5

Updated Install Instructions:

• Added troubleshooting tips for installation issues

Version 2.4

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

Version 2.3

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

Version 2.2

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

Version 2.1

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

Version 2.0

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 update command
  • Codex: Runs npm install -g @openai/codex@latest inside WSL
  • Cursor Agent: Runs cursor-agent update inside WSL
• Convenient one-click updates without manually typing commands

Version 1.8

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

Version 1.7

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

Version 1.6

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

Version 1.5

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!

Version 1.4

Stability Improvements:

• Fixed extension re-initialization issue when switching between windows
• Prevents multiple terminal instances from being created
• More reliable overall behavior

Version 1.3

File Management & UI:

• Automatic cleanup of temporary image directories on startup
• Simpler image naming: image_1.png, image_2.png instead of long timestamps
• Each prompt with images gets its own unique folder to prevent conflicts
• Fixed gear icon (⚙) display in settings button

Version 1.2

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

Version 1.1

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

Version 1.0

Initial Release:

• Embedded AI assistant terminal right in Visual Studio

• Send prompts with Enter (or use Shift+Enter for new lines)

• Full image support: paste, drag & drop, or browse for files

• Automatic workspace detection when opening solutions

• All your preferences saved automatically

• Kwown Issues

• 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.

License & Usage

** IMPORTANT NOTICE**

This extension is proprietary software. Unauthorized cloning, copying, modification, or distribution is strictly prohibited without explicit written permission from the author.

Restrictions

• No commercial use

Permissions

For licensing inquiries or permission requests, please contact the author.

Claude Code Extension for Visual Studio - Enhancing your AI-assisted development workflow

Build with the help of Claude Opus 4.1, Claude Code, GPT-5 and Qwen Code