Add Side Bar (Webview View) Support for Claude Code

[manishnaruka]

Preflight Checklist

• [x] I have searched existing requests and this feature hasn't been requested yet
• [x] This is a single feature request (not multiple features)

Problem Statement

Summary Requesting support for rendering Claude Code as a VS Code Side Bar view instead of (or in addition to) the current editor tab–based webview.

Problem Statement Currently, Claude Code opens as a standard editor tab (webview panel), which competes with source files and disrupts the primary editing workflow. Competing AI extensions (e.g., Codex, Copilot Chat) expose their UI as a Side Bar view, allowing persistent access without consuming editor real estate.

VS Code does not allow users to re-dock editor webviews into the Side Bar, so this limitation cannot be addressed via configuration or user settings.

Proposed Solution

Proposed Enhancement Implement a Side Bar view using viewsContainers + webviewViewProvider, enabling Claude Code to be docked in the Activity Bar (left/right), similar to other AI assistants.

Ideally: • Provide Claude Code as a Side Bar view • Optionally retain the existing editor-tab mode for users who prefer it • Allow users to choose their preferred UI surface

Benefits • Improves developer ergonomics and focus • Aligns Claude Code with established VS Code AI UX patterns • Enables persistent conversational context alongside code • Reduces friction for users running multiple AI tools concurrently

Technical Notes (FYI) This would require: • Registering a viewsContainer • Implementing a WebviewViewProvider • Adapting the UI layout for Side Bar width constraints

Impact This enhancement would materially improve usability for power users and teams using Claude Code as a daily development assistant.

Thank you for considering this request. Happy to provide feedback or help test if needed.

Alternative Solutions

No response

Priority

Critical - Blocking my work

Feature Category

CLI commands and flags

Use Case Example

No response

Additional Context

No response

[github-actions[bot]]

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Found 3 possible duplicate issues:

1. https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code/issues/2080
2. https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code/issues/14380
3. https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code/issues/12909

This issue will be automatically closed as a duplicate in 3 days.

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🤖 Generated with Claude Code

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[github-actions[bot]]

This issue has been automatically closed as a duplicate of #2080.

If this is incorrect, please re-open this issue or create a new one.

🤖 Generated with Claude Code