Claude Code works great with any Integrated Development Environment (IDE) that has a terminal. Just run claude, and you’re ready to go. In addition, Claude Code provides dedicated integrations for popular IDEs, which provide features like interactive diff viewing, selection context sharing, and more. These integrations currently exist for:
  • Visual Studio Code (including popular forks like Cursor, Windsurf, and VSCodium)
  • JetBrains IDEs (including IntelliJ, PyCharm, Android Studio, WebStorm, PhpStorm and GoLand)

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Features

  • Quick launch: Use Cmd+Esc (Mac) or Ctrl+Esc (Windows/Linux) to open Claude Code directly from your editor, or click the Claude Code button in the UI
  • Diff viewing: Code changes can be displayed directly in the IDE diff viewer instead of the terminal. You can configure this in /config
  • Selection context: The current selection/tab in the IDE is automatically shared with Claude Code
  • File reference shortcuts: Use Cmd+Option+K (Mac) or Alt+Ctrl+K (Linux/Windows) to insert file references (e.g., @File#L1-99)
  • Diagnostic sharing: Diagnostic errors (lint, syntax, etc.) from the IDE are automatically shared with Claude as you work

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Installation

To install Claude Code on VS Code and popular forks like Cursor, Windsurf, and VSCodium:
  1. Open VS Code
  2. Open the integrated terminal
  3. Run claude - the extension will auto-install

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Usage

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From your IDE

Run claude from your IDE’s integrated terminal, and all features will be active.

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From external terminals

Use the /ide command in any external terminal to connect Claude Code to your IDE and activate all features. If you want Claude to have access to the same files as your IDE, start Claude Code from the same directory as your IDE project root.

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Configuration

IDE integrations work with Claude Code’s configuration system:
  1. Run claude
  2. Enter the /config command
  3. Adjust your preferences. Setting the diff tool to auto will enable automatic IDE detection

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Troubleshooting

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VS Code extension not installing

  • Ensure you’re running Claude Code from VS Code’s integrated terminal
  • Ensure that the CLI corresponding to your IDE is installed:
    • For VS Code: code command should be available
    • For Cursor: cursor command should be available
    • For Windsurf: windsurf command should be available
    • For VSCodium: codium command should be available
    • If not installed, use Cmd+Shift+P (Mac) or Ctrl+Shift+P (Windows/Linux) and search for “Shell Command: Install ‘code’ command in PATH” (or the equivalent for your IDE)
  • Check that VS Code has permission to install extensions

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JetBrains plugin not working

  • Ensure you’re running Claude Code from the project root directory
  • Check that the JetBrains plugin is enabled in the IDE settings
  • Completely restart the IDE. You may need to do this multiple times
  • For JetBrains Remote Development, ensure that the Claude Code plugin is installed in the remote host and not locally on the client
For additional help, refer to our troubleshooting guide.