Claude Code Chat UI – for Windows (No WSL)

A Native UI for Windows That Makes Claude Code Instantly Better! 🚀

🌐 Languages: English | 简体中文 | 繁體中文

🎯 Core Advantages

• ✅ Zero WSL Dependency: Runs with just Git Bash and Node.js.
• ✅ Real-time Cost Tracking: Instantly see token counts and costs.
• ✅ MCP Adaptation: Adapts to various MCPs with support for dynamic MCP tool queries.
• ✅ Third-party API Adaptation: Supports various third-party APIs including anyrouter/tuziapi, as well as Kimi K2.
• ✅ Image Copy-Paste/File Retrieval Support: Maximize the use of multimodal models - image pasting is essential!
• ✅ Multi-language Support: Multi-language communication and code comments.
• ✅ Perfect for "Vibe Coding": Smooth UI interface for an ultra-comfortable coding environment.
• 🔄 Operation History: Real-time display of all file operations with one-click undo/redo

Coming soon: Token & Fee visualization, VSCode integration-code awareness.

🚩 Why You Need This Project

• No More WSL Hassle: Finally, run Claude Code with 100% native Windows support. It just works!
• Say Goodbye to Path Errors: Seamlessly converts between C:\ and /usr/ paths to avoid wasting time and tokens.
• Ditch the Terminal: A full-featured GUI chat interface for easy copy-pasting and image insertion. No more window switching!

📸 Features at a Glance

Main Chat Interface

Real-time Token Stats

Model Context Protocol (MCP)

🚀 Installation and Usage

🎉 Now Available on VS Code Marketplace! Install with just one click.

This guide covers Environment Setup, Extension Installation, and Packaging Instructions.

Version Compatibility Notice

⚠️ Important Version Notice (Updated 2025.07.18):

Claude Code official has released v1.0.62, but this version can be directly installed using methods compatible with v1.0.48. We recommend using v1.0.62 with plugin version 1.5.1.

Downgrade Guide: If you need to downgrade from a higher version to v1.0.48, please follow these steps:

1. Add C:\Program Files\Git\bin and C:\Program Files\Git\bin\bash.exe to system environment variables
2. Delete the shell-snapshots folder in C:\Users\<yourname>\.claude folder
3. Uninstall the current version and reinstall v1.0.48

⚡ Claude Code v1.0.51-54 users notice:

• Ensure your system PATH does NOT contain Git\bin, or you'll encounter startup errors
• You must restart your computer after modifying system environment variables
• See Environment Setup for details

⚠️ Note: Versions between v1.0.54-v1.0.62 have not been tested. If you encounter issues, please contact the author.

🔹 Step 1: Set Up Your Environment (One-Time Only)

This core step resolves the No suitable shell found error on Windows.

# 1. Install Git for Windows (includes Git Bash, which is required)
# Download here: https://git-scm.com/

# 2. Install Node.js (LTS version recommended, ≥ 18)
# Download here: https://nodejs.org/

# 3. Open PowerShell or CMD as an [Administrator] and run the following commands to set environment variables

setx NPM_CONFIG_IGNORE_SCRIPTS true

# ⚠️ Claude Code version differences:
# - v1.0.50 and below: Need to set SHELL environment variable
setx SHELL "C:\\Program Files\\Git\\bin\\bash.exe"
# Note: If you installed Git in a different directory, update the path accordingly.

# 4. ⚠️ IMPORTANT: You must RESTART YOUR COMPUTER after modifying system environment variables!
# Simply closing PowerShell/CMD window is NOT enough

# 5. After restart, verify your environment setup

🔹 Step 2: Install and Verify Claude Code CLI

# 1. In a [new] terminal window, globally install the Claude Code CLI, recommend v1.0.62
npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code@1.0.62

# ⚠️ If you encounter PowerShell script execution policy errors, try these solutions:
# Error example: "cannot be loaded because running scripts is disabled on this system"
# Solution: Temporarily relax the execution policy for the current session (more secure)
Set-ExecutionPolicy -Scope Process -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Force
# Or use CMD instead of PowerShell to run npm commands

# 2. Ensure the npm global directory is in your system's Path environment variable
#    The default path is usually: C:\Users\YourUsername\AppData\Roaming\npm
#    If you're unsure, add it manually to your system's "Path" variable.

# 3. Log in to Claude Code for the first time (if using official account)
claude code
#    A browser window will open for authorization → Log in and copy the token → Paste it back into the terminal.
#    💡 Tip: If you plan to use third-party APIs, see the API setup examples below.

# 4. Quickly verify the installation
claude chat -m sonnet -p "hello"
#    If you see a reply from Claude, your environment is ready!

Version notes:

• Claude Code v1.0.51 added native Windows support, requires PATH to only contain Git\cmd
• Claude Code v1.0.48 changed the shell snapshot location from /tmp to ~/.claude

🔹 Step 3: Install This Extension

✨ Method 1: Install from VS Code Marketplace (Recommended)

The extension is now available on the VS Code Marketplace! 🎉

Quick Install:

1. Open VS Code or Cursor
2. Press Ctrl+Shift+X to open Extensions
3. Search for Claude-Code ChatUI or lkbaba
4. Click Install

Direct Link: ➡️ Install from VS Code Marketplace

📦 Method 2: Download from GitHub Release (Offline Installation)

If you can't access VS Code Marketplace, download the pre-packaged extension file:

1. 🔗 Go to Releases page to download the latest version
2. Download the claude-code-chatinwindows-1.x.x.zip package
3. Extract and find the claude-code-chatinwindows-x.x.vsix file
4. In VS Code/Cursor, press Ctrl+Shift+P, type Install from VSIX and select "Extensions: Install from VSIX..."
5. Select the extracted .vsix file to install

💡 Tip: This method is suitable for offline installation.

Method 3: Advanced Installation (for Developers)

If you want to run from source or package the extension manually, follow these steps.

Run from Source

# Clone the project locally
git clone https://github.com/LKbaba/Claude-code-ChatInWindows.git
cd Claude-code-ChatInWindows
npm install  # Install dependencies

# Press F5 in VS Code or Cursor to start debugging

Package as VSIX and Install

# 1. Make sure you are in the project root and have run npm install

# 2. Compile and package the extension
npm run package

#    This command will automatically compile and package the extension into a .vsix file.

To install the .vsix file:

1. In VS Code or Cursor, press Ctrl+Shift+P to open the Command Palette.
2. Type Install from VSIX and select "Extensions: Install from VSIX...".
3. Select the generated .vsix file from the project root to install.

🎉 Getting Started

💡 Important: If using a VPN, ensure TUN mode is enabled, otherwise Claude Code may fail to connect.

• Open Chat Panel: Press Ctrl+Shift+C
• File Explorer Icon: There's an icon next to the new folder button, click it to open

🔑 Using Third-Party APIs

This extension supports third-party API services (e.g., tu-zi.com, openrouter.ai). Here's how to use them:

Usage Steps

A. Extension Configuration

1. Open Settings: Click the settings button ⚙️ in the chat interface
2. Enable Custom API: Check "Use Custom API Endpoint"
3. Configure API:
   • API Key: Enter your API key (e.g., sk-ant-xxxxxxxxxx)
   • Base URL: Enter the API endpoint (e.g., https://api.tu-zi.com)
4. Save Confirmation: Settings are saved automatically with a "Settings updated successfully" notification

5. First-time Initialization (Important)

⚠️ Note: First-time custom API use requires command line initialization. After that, it works normally in the extension.

B. First-time Initialization

Windows PowerShell Users:

# Open a new PowerShell session
Set-ExecutionPolicy -Scope Process -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Force   # Bypass script restrictions

$Env:ANTHROPIC_API_KEY  = "sk-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"   # Enter your API key, note the quotes are required
$Env:ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL = "https://api.tu-zi.com"  # Consult your API provider for the URL, quotes are required

claude code  # Run CLI to read environment variables

Follow the prompts to confirm third-party API can return messages.

claude chat -m opus "hello"  # Test if configuration works

💡 Tips:

• Important: Initialization is required again after system restart 💡
• Third-party APIs are usually more affordable for budget-conscious users. Common services: api.tu-zi.com, openrouter.ai, anyrouter.top
• Toggle between official account and custom API anytime via the switch
• Wrong API key will show "processing" until timeout

❓ FAQ

Q: Getting "No suitable shell found" error after upgrading to Claude Code v1.0.51?

• A: Claude Code v1.0.51's native Windows support requires specific environment setup:

  1. Open system environment variables (Win + X → System → Advanced system settings → Environment Variables)
  2. Edit PATH variable, remove all entries containing Git\bin
  3. Ensure PATH contains C:\Program Files\Git\cmd
  4. Important: You must restart your computer for changes to take effect

  Temporary test method (PowerShell, no restart needed):

  # Temporarily remove Git\bin (current session only)
  $env:PATH = $env:PATH -replace 'C:\\Program Files\\Git\\bin;?', ''
  claude --version
  claude code
  

  If the temporary test works, follow the steps above to permanently modify environment variables and restart.

Q: Why doesn't chat respond after configuring API?

• A: First-time custom API use requires command line initialization to ensure messages can be returned.

Q: How to switch back to official account?

• A: Uncheck "Use Custom API Endpoint" in settings

Q: Getting "rg: command not found" error?

• A: This is optional. If you want to install ripgrep for better search performance:

  # In Git Bash:
  curl -L https://github.com/BurntSushi/ripgrep/releases/download/14.1.0/ripgrep-14.1.0-x86_64-pc-windows-msvc.zip -o ripgrep.zip
  unzip ripgrep.zip && mkdir -p ~/bin
  cp ripgrep-14.1.0-x86_64-pc-windows-msvc/rg.exe ~/bin/
  echo 'alias rg="~/bin/rg"' >> ~/.bashrc && source ~/.bashrc
  

  • Note: The extension's built-in Grep tool works fine without ripgrep.

🤝 How to Contribute

1. Fork the project and create a feature branch.
2. Focus on a single new feature or pain point.
3. Test thoroughly on a real Windows machine.
4. Run npm test before submitting (if tests are available).
5. Open a Pull Request with a clear description and screenshots.

We welcome all AI engineers, developers, geeks, and vibe-coders on Windows to join in!

📝 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License, consistent with the upstream project. See LICENSE for details.

🙏 Acknowledgments and Inspiration

Special thanks to:

• andrepimenta – for the original claude-code-chat project
• CCUsage – for the inspiration on real-time token tracking
• Mrasxieyang (from linux.do community) – for providing the core solution for the native Windows installation
• Anthropic – for creating the powerful Claude and Claude Code
• All developers contributing to the Claude Code application ecosystem ❤️