Claude Live Follow

A VS Code extension that automatically follows the files Claude Code is reading, creating, or editing.

Claude Live Follow gives you a live view of Claude Code activity directly inside Visual Studio Code.

Features

• Automatic file following
• Live Writing preview
• Live Editing preview
• Current file tracking
• Relative and full file paths
• Session change counter
• Last action time
• Follow ON / PAUSED
• Open Current File
• Created and Edited file history
• Clear History
• Fast, Natural, and Cinematic typing modes
• Dedicated Claude Live sidebar
• Global Claude Code hook support

Normal Usage

After installing the extension:

1. Open your working project in a normal VS Code window.
2. Make sure Claude Follow: ON is visible in the status bar.
3. Start a new Claude Code session in this project.
4. Give Claude a task.

When Claude uses Read, Write, or Edit, the corresponding file opens automatically.

When Claude reads a file with a specific line number, the editor scrolls to that location.

When Claude creates or edits a file, Claude Live Follow can display an animated preview before opening the final saved file.

F5 and the Extension Development Host are not required for normal use.

Clicking Claude Follow: ON/OFF enables or disables automatic file switching.

Claude Live Sidebar

Claude Live Follow adds a dedicated panel to the VS Code Activity Bar.

The sidebar shows:

• Idle / Writing / Editing status
• Current file
• Relative file path
• Full file path
• Session change count
• Last action time
• Follow status
• Recently created files
• Recently edited files

It also provides quick actions for:

• Open Current File
• Show History
• Clear History
• Pause / Resume Follow

Installation

Install Claude Live Follow from the Visual Studio Code Marketplace.

You can also install it manually from a VSIX package:

code --install-extension ./claude-live-follow-0.3.1.vsix --force

After installation, open your project normally in VS Code.

Commands

Available commands include:

• Claude Live: Toggle Follow
• Claude Live: Show Recent Files
• Claude Live: Open Current File
• Claude Live: Clear History
• Claude Live: Start Hook Server
• Claude Live: Install Claude Code Hooks

Open the VS Code Command Palette with:

• Cmd+Shift+P on macOS
• Ctrl+Shift+P on Windows/Linux

Settings

Follow

Enable or disable automatic file following.

"claudeLive.followEnabled": true

Hook Server Port

Preferred local HTTP server port.

"claudeLive.port": 48123

Typing Mode

Controls the Live Writing animation style.

"claudeLive.typingMode": "natural"

Available values:

• fast
• natural
• cinematic

Highlight Duration

Controls how long completed changes remain highlighted.

"claudeLive.highlightMs": 2000

How It Works

Claude Live Follow listens for Claude Code PreToolUse and PostToolUse hook events.

When Claude prepares a Write or Edit operation, the extension can display a live visual preview of the incoming change.

After Claude completes the operation, the real file is opened and the changed area is highlighted.

The Live Writing animation is generated from the content provided by the Claude Code hook.

It does not mean Claude writes the file to disk character by character.

The actual file operation is still performed by Claude Code.

Global Hook Setup

Claude Live Follow can use global Claude Code hooks from:

~/.claude/settings.json

Example:

{
  "hooks": {
    "PreToolUse": [
      {
        "matcher": "Edit|Write",
        "hooks": [
          {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "http://127.0.0.1:48123/claude-hook"
          }
        ]
      }
    ],
    "PostToolUse": [
      {
        "matcher": "Edit|Write",
        "hooks": [
          {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "http://127.0.0.1:48123/claude-hook"
          }
        ]
      }
    ]
  }
}

After changing Claude Code hooks, restart the active Claude Code session so the updated configuration is loaded.

If a File Does Not Open

1. Make sure Claude Follow: ON is enabled.
2. Make sure the correct project is open in VS Code.
3. Restart Claude Code after changing hook configuration.
4. Run /hooks in Claude Code and verify the configured hook URL.
5. Check the Claude Live Follow output channel in VS Code.
6. Make sure Claude Code itself has available usage quota.

Privacy

Claude Live Follow runs locally.

The extension listens for Claude Code hook events on localhost.

Claude Live Follow does not require uploading your project files to an external service.

Author

MVDev

https://mvdev.click

License

Proprietary software.

Copyright © 2026 MVDev. All rights reserved.

Unauthorized copying, redistribution, modification, reverse engineering, or reuse is prohibited except where permitted by applicable law.

See the LICENSE file for full terms.