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Sweep 28 Aug 2026 · 00:00Z Build v2.1.250 478 read Stable v2.1.236 Latest v2.1.250 Next v2.1.250 Feeds RSS JSON llms.txt

DisclaimerUnofficial, and not affiliated with Anthropic. Nearly all of this is read straight out of what ships: npm bundles, captured prompts, published docs. Anthropic's own notes go in verbatim, marked as theirs. The rest is my reading, and every entry carries the strings behind it. If one looks wrong, vote it down and say why.

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One read of Claude Code CLI

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     * **Activity Bar**: click the Spark icon in the left sidebar to open the sessions list. Click any session to open it as a full editor tab, or start a new one. This icon is always visible in the Activity Bar.
     * **Command Palette**: `Cmd+Shift+P` (Mac) or `Ctrl+Shift+P` (Windows/Linux), type "Claude Code", and select an option like "Open in New Tab"
-    * **Status Bar**: click **✱ Claude Code** in the bottom-right corner of the window. This works even when no file is open.
+    * **Status Bar**: if you've set [`preferredLocation`](#extension-settings) to `sidebar`, or opened Claude with **Claude Code: Open in Side Bar**, click **✱ Claude Code** in the bottom-right corner of the window. This works even when no file is open.
 
     You can drag the Claude panel to reposition it anywhere in VS Code. See [Customize your workflow](#customize-your-workflow) for details.
   </Step>
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   * **Edit automatically**: Claude makes edits without asking.
 * **Command menu**: click `/` or type `/` to open the command menu. Options include attaching files, switching models, toggling extended thinking, viewing plan usage (`/usage`), and starting a [Remote Control](/docs/en/remote-control) session (`/remote-control`). The Customize section provides access to MCP servers, hooks, memory, permissions, and plugins. Items with a terminal icon open in the integrated terminal.
   * The Settings section includes **Enable Remote Control for all sessions**, which sets [`remoteControlAtStartup`](/docs/en/settings-reference#remotecontrolatstartup) to control whether [new interactive sessions connect to Remote Control automatically](/docs/en/remote-control#enable-remote-control-for-all-sessions). Requires Claude Code v2.1.203 or later.
-  * The Settings section also includes **Focus view**, which hides tool calls, tool results, and thinking behind expandable rows, leaving your prompts and Claude's responses. Claude's latest to-do list stays visible, and so does the text a pending question from Claude is asking about. Toggle it there, with `Ctrl+Option+F` (Mac) / `Ctrl+Alt+F` (Windows/Linux), or from the Command Palette with **Claude Code: Toggle Focus view**. The change applies to every open session and persists across sessions. Requires Claude Code v2.1.221 or later.
+  * The Settings section also includes **Focus view**, which hides tool calls, tool results, and thinking behind expandable rows, leaving your prompts and Claude's responses. Claude's latest to-do list stays visible, and so does the text a pending question from Claude is asking about; this requires Claude Code v2.1.225 or later. Toggle it there, with `Ctrl+Option+F` (Mac) / `Ctrl+Alt+F` (Windows/Linux), or from the Command Palette with **Claude Code: Toggle Focus view**. The change applies to every open session and persists across sessions. Requires Claude Code v2.1.221 or later.
   * To report a bug, click **Report a problem** at the bottom of the menu, or type `/bug` or `/feedback` with an optional description that prefills the report. When you submit the report and you're signed in to Anthropic on a first-party connection, Claude Code sends it to Anthropic. On a third-party provider, or without Anthropic credentials, the dialog still opens, but submitting shows an error and sends nothing: unlike the CLI's `/bug`, the extension doesn't write a local archive. Requires Claude Code v2.1.229 or later.
 * **Side questions**: type `/btw` followed by a question, or pick it from the command menu, to ask about your session [without adding to the conversation](/docs/en/interactive-mode#side-questions-with-%2Fbtw). The answer opens in a panel beside the chat, where you can ask follow-up questions. The thread survives window reloads. Claude Code keeps the newest 20 exchanges and expires stored threads on the [`cleanupPeriodDays`](/docs/en/settings-reference#cleanupperioddays) schedule, as long as Claude Code can [safely determine the retention period](/docs/en/claude-directory#cleaned-up-automatically). To clear a thread, click the trash icon in the panel. Requires Claude Code v2.1.227 or later.
 * **Context indicator**: the prompt box shows how much of Claude's context window you're using. Claude automatically compacts when needed, or you can run `/compact` manually.
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 | Command                    | Shortcut                                                 | Description                                                                                                                                                                                                   |
 | -------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
 | Focus Input                | `Cmd+Esc` (Mac) / `Ctrl+Esc` (Windows/Linux)             | Toggle focus between editor and Claude                                                                                                                                                                        |
-| Open in Side Bar           | -                                                        | Open Claude in the left sidebar                                                                                                                                                                               |
+| Open in Side Bar           | -                                                        | Open Claude in the sidebar                                                                                                                                                                                    |
 | Open in Terminal           | -                                                        | Open Claude in terminal mode                                                                                                                                                                                  |
 | Open in New Tab            | `Cmd+Shift+Esc` (Mac) / `Ctrl+Shift+Esc` (Windows/Linux) | Open a new conversation as an editor tab                                                                                                                                                                      |
 | Open in New Window         | -                                                        | Open a new conversation in a separate window                                                                                                                                                                  |
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 | New Conversation           | `Cmd+N` (Mac) / `Ctrl+N` (Windows/Linux)                 | Start a new conversation. Requires Claude to be focused and `enableNewConversationShortcut` set to `true`                                                                                                     |
 | Reopen Closed Session      | `Cmd+Shift+T` (Mac) / `Ctrl+Shift+T` (Windows/Linux)     | Reopen the most recently closed Claude session tab. Falls through to VS Code's normal reopen-closed-editor when the last closed tab wasn't a Claude session. Disable with `enableReopenClosedSessionShortcut` |
 | Insert @-Mention Reference | `Option+K` (Mac) / `Alt+K` (Windows/Linux)               | Insert a reference to the current file and selection (requires editor to be focused)                                                                                                                          |
-| Toggle Focus view          | `Ctrl+Option+F` (Mac) / `Ctrl+Alt+F` (Windows/Linux)     | Hide or show tool activity in the conversation. Works while a Claude panel or sidebar is visible                                                                                                              |
+| Toggle Focus view          | `Ctrl+Option+F` (Mac) / `Ctrl+Alt+F` (Windows/Linux)     | Hide or show tool activity in the conversation. Works while a Claude panel or sidebar is visible. Requires Claude Code v2.1.221 or later                                                                      |
 | Show Logs                  | -                                                        | View extension debug logs                                                                                                                                                                                     |
 | Logout                     | -                                                        | Sign out of your Anthropic account                                                                                                                                                                            |
 
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 | `enableNewConversationShortcut`     | `false` | Enable Cmd/Ctrl+N to start a new conversation                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               |
 | `enableReopenClosedSessionShortcut` | `true`  | Use Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+T to reopen the most recently closed Claude session tab. When the last closed tab wasn't a Claude session, the shortcut runs VS Code's normal reopen-closed-editor command instead.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      |
 | `hideOnboarding`                    | `false` | Hide the onboarding checklist (graduation cap icon)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         |
-| `focusView`                         | `false` | Hide tool calls, tool results, and thinking behind expandable rows, leaving your prompts and Claude's responses. Claude's latest to-do list stays visible. You can also toggle Focus view from the command menu. Requires Claude Code v2.1.221 or later                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     |
+| `focusView`                         | `false` | Hide tool calls, tool results, and thinking behind expandable rows, leaving your prompts and Claude's responses. Claude's latest to-do list stays visible; this requires Claude Code v2.1.225 or later. You can also toggle Focus view from the command menu. Requires Claude Code v2.1.221 or later                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        |
 | `respectGitIgnore`                  | `true`  | Exclude .gitignore patterns from file searches                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              |
 | `usePythonEnvironment`              | `true`  | Activate the workspace's Python environment when running Claude. Requires the Python extension.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             |
 | `environmentVariables`              | `[]`    | Set environment variables for the Claude process. Use Claude Code settings instead for shared config.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       |
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 ### Monitor background processes
 
-When Claude runs long-running commands, the extension shows progress in the status bar. However, visibility for background tasks is limited compared to the CLI. For better visibility, have Claude output the command so you can run it in VS Code's integrated terminal.
+Visibility for background tasks in the extension is limited compared to the CLI. For better visibility, have Claude output the command so you can run it in VS Code's integrated terminal.
 
 ### Connect to external tools with MCP
 
from line 522
 4. **Disable conflicting extensions**: Temporarily disable other AI extensions (Cline, Continue, etc.)
 5. **Check workspace trust**: The extension doesn't work in Restricted Mode
 
-Alternatively, click "✱ Claude Code" in the **Status Bar** (bottom-right corner). This works even without a file open. You can also use the **Command Palette** (`Cmd+Shift+P` / `Ctrl+Shift+P`) and type "Claude Code".
+Alternatively, if you've set [`preferredLocation`](#extension-settings) to `sidebar`, or opened Claude with **Claude Code: Open in Side Bar**, click "✱ Claude Code" in the **Status Bar** (bottom-right corner). This works even without a file open. You can also use the **Command Palette** (`Cmd+Shift+P` / `Ctrl+Shift+P`) and type "Claude Code".
 
 ### Cmd+Esc does nothing on macOS