ide-doc

name	ide-doc
description	Complete official documentation for Claude Code IDE and desktop integrations — Claude Code Desktop (macOS/Windows), VS Code extension, JetBrains plugin, Claude in Chrome browser extension, and computer use (CLI and Desktop).
user-invocable	false

IDE and Desktop Integration Documentation

This skill provides the complete official documentation for Claude Code integrations with desktop apps, IDEs, browsers, and computer use.

Quick Reference

Claude Code Desktop — Overview

Available on macOS and Windows (not Linux — use the CLI instead). Requires a Pro, Max, Team, or Enterprise subscription.

Three tabs:

Tab	Purpose
Chat	General conversation (no file access)
Cowork	Autonomous background agent in a cloud VM
Code	Interactive coding assistant with file access

Session environments:

Environment	Behavior
Local	Runs on your machine with direct file access
Remote	Runs on Anthropic's cloud; continues when app is closed
SSH	Runs on a remote machine you manage over SSH

Desktop — Permission Modes

Mode	Settings key	Behavior
Ask permissions	default	Asks before editing files or running commands
Auto accept edits	acceptEdits	Auto-accepts file edits and safe FS commands; still asks before other terminal commands
Plan mode	plan	Reads and explores; proposes plan without editing source code
Auto	auto	Executes all actions with background safety checks; research preview (Max/Team/Enterprise/API plans, specific models required)
Bypass permissions	bypassPermissions	No permission prompts; equivalent to --dangerously-skip-permissions; must be enabled in Settings

Auto mode is not available on Pro plans or third-party providers. On Team/Enterprise/API it requires Claude Sonnet 4.6, Opus 4.6, or Opus 4.7. On Max it requires Opus 4.7.

Desktop — Keyboard Shortcuts

Shortcut (macOS)	Action
Cmd+N	New session
Cmd+W	Close session
Ctrl+Tab / Ctrl+Shift+Tab	Next/previous session
Esc	Stop Claude's response
Cmd+Shift+D	Toggle diff pane
Cmd+Shift+P	Toggle preview pane
Ctrl+`` `` `	Toggle terminal pane
Cmd+;	Open side chat
Ctrl+O	Cycle view modes
Cmd+Shift+M	Permission mode menu
Cmd+Shift+I	Model menu

Use Ctrl instead of Cmd on Windows for most shortcuts.

Desktop — View Modes

Mode	Shows
Normal	Tool calls collapsed into summaries, full text responses
Verbose	Every tool call, file read, and intermediate step
Summary	Only final responses and changes made

Desktop — Preview Server Config (.claude/launch.json)

{
  "version": "0.0.1",
  "autoVerify": true,
  "configurations": [
    {
      "name": "my-app",
      "runtimeExecutable": "npm",
      "runtimeArgs": ["run", "dev"],
      "port": 3000
    }
  ]
}

Configuration fields:

Field	Type	Description
name	string	Unique server identifier
runtimeExecutable	string	Command to run (e.g. npm, yarn)
runtimeArgs	string[]	Arguments to runtimeExecutable
port	number	Port the server listens on (default: 3000)
cwd	string	Working directory relative to project root
env	object	Additional environment variables
autoPort	boolean	true = find free port; false = fail if taken
program	string	Node.js script to run directly
args	string[]	Arguments to program

Use runtimeExecutable+runtimeArgs for package manager commands. Use program for standalone Node.js scripts.

Desktop — SSH Connection Config

Add sshConfigs to managed settings to pre-configure connections for a team:

{
  "sshConfigs": [
    {
      "id": "shared-dev-vm",
      "name": "Shared Dev VM",
      "sshHost": "[e-mail]",
      "sshPort": 22,
      "sshIdentityFile": "~/.ssh/id_ed25519",
      "startDirectory": "~/projects"
    }
  ]
}

Required fields: id, name, sshHost. Optional: sshPort, sshIdentityFile, startDirectory.

Desktop — Managed Settings Keys

Key	Description
permissions.disableBypassPermissionsMode	Set to "disable" to block Bypass permissions mode
disableAutoMode	Set to "disable" to remove Auto mode from the selector
autoMode	Customize classifier rules for auto mode across your org
sshConfigs	Pre-configure SSH connections for all users

Desktop — CLI Flag Equivalents

CLI Flag	Desktop Equivalent
--model	Model dropdown next to the send button
--resume, --continue	Click a session in the sidebar
--permission-mode	Mode selector next to the send button
--dangerously-skip-permissions	Bypass permissions mode (enable in Settings)
--add-dir	Add multiple repos with + in remote sessions
--verbose	Verbose view mode in Transcript view dropdown
--print, --output-format	Not available (Desktop is interactive only)

Desktop — Worktrees

Each local session gets an isolated Git worktree. Stored at <project-root>/.claude/worktrees/ by default. Configurable in Settings → Claude Code.

To copy gitignored files (e.g. .env) into new worktrees, create a .worktreeinclude file in your project root.

Auto-archive sessions when their PR merges: enable Auto-archive after PR merge or close in Settings → Claude Code.

VS Code Extension — Installation

• VS Code: press Cmd+Shift+X (Mac) / Ctrl+Shift+X (Windows/Linux), search "Claude Code", click Install
• Cursor: install from cursor:extension/anthropic.claude-code
• Other forks: search in Extensions view or install from Open VSX registry
• Requires VS Code 1.98.0 or higher

VS Code Extension — Keyboard Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
Cmd+Esc / Ctrl+Esc	Toggle focus between editor and Claude
Cmd+Shift+Esc / Ctrl+Shift+Esc	Open new conversation as editor tab
Option+K / Alt+K	Insert @-mention reference for current selection
Cmd+N / Ctrl+N	New conversation (requires enableNewConversationShortcut: true)

VS Code Extension Settings

Setting	Default	Description
useTerminal	false	Launch Claude in terminal mode instead of graphical panel
initialPermissionMode	default	Default permission mode for new conversations
preferredLocation	panel	Where Claude opens: sidebar or panel
autosave	true	Auto-save files before Claude reads or writes them
useCtrlEnterToSend	false	Use Ctrl/Cmd+Enter instead of Enter to send
enableNewConversationShortcut	false	Enable Cmd/Ctrl+N to start a new conversation
respectGitIgnore	true	Exclude .gitignore patterns from file searches
usePythonEnvironment	true	Activate workspace Python environment
allowDangerouslySkipPermissions	false	Adds Auto and Bypass permissions to the mode selector
disableLoginPrompt	false	Skip auth prompts (for third-party provider setups)

VS Code Extension — Built-in IDE MCP Server

The extension runs a local MCP server named ide (hidden from /mcp) that the CLI connects to automatically. It binds to 127.0.0.1 on a random port with a per-activation auth token stored in ~/.claude/ide/ (0600 permissions).

Two tools visible to the model:

Tool	What it does	Writes?
mcp__ide__getDiagnostics	Returns language-server diagnostics (VS Code Problems panel)	No
mcp__ide__executeCode	Runs Python code in the active Jupyter notebook kernel (confirms with Quick Pick before running)	Yes

VS Code Extension — URI Handler

Open a new Claude Code tab from external tooling:

vscode://anthropic.claude-code/open

Optional query parameters: prompt (URL-encoded pre-fill text) and session (session ID to resume).

JetBrains — Supported IDEs

IntelliJ IDEA, PyCharm, Android Studio, WebStorm, PhpStorm, GoLand.

Install: Claude Code plugin from JetBrains Marketplace. Restart IDE after installing.

JetBrains — Key Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
Cmd+Esc (Mac) / Ctrl+Esc (Win/Linux)	Open Claude Code from editor
Cmd+Option+K (Mac) / Alt+Ctrl+K (Win/Linux)	Insert file reference (e.g. @src/auth.ts#L1-99)

JetBrains — Usage

• Run claude from the IDE's integrated terminal for full integration
• Run /ide from an external terminal to connect to the JetBrains IDE
• Configure diff tool: /config → set diff tool to auto (show in IDE) or terminal

JetBrains — WSL2 Fix

If you see "No available IDEs detected" with WSL2, WSL2's NAT networking blocks the connection. Fix: create a Windows Firewall inbound rule allowing TCP from the WSL2 subnet.

Alternative: add networkingMode=mirrored to .wslconfig (requires Windows 11 22H2+).

Claude in Chrome — Prerequisites

• Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge (not Brave, Arc, or other Chromium browsers; not WSL)
• Claude in Chrome extension v1.0.36+
• Claude Code v2.0.73+
• Direct Anthropic plan (Pro, Max, Team, or Enterprise) — not available via Bedrock/Vertex/Foundry

Claude in Chrome — Usage

claude --chrome        # Start with Chrome integration

Or run /chrome inside an existing session to enable/connect/manage permissions.

In VS Code: type @browser in the prompt box followed by your task.

Claude in Chrome — Capabilities

Live debugging (console errors, DOM), design verification, web app testing, authenticated web app interaction (Google Docs, Gmail, Notion, etc.), data extraction, task automation, session recording as GIF.

Computer Use (CLI) — Requirements

• macOS only (for CLI; Desktop supports macOS and Windows)
• Pro or Max plan
• Claude Code v2.1.85+
• Interactive session (not available with -p flag)
• Not available via third-party providers (Bedrock/Vertex/Foundry)

Computer Use — Enable in CLI

1. In an interactive session, run /mcp
2. Select computer-use and choose Enable (persists per project)
3. Grant macOS Accessibility and Screen Recording permissions when prompted

Computer Use — App Permission Tiers

Tier	What Claude can do	Applies to
View only	See app in screenshots	Browsers, trading platforms
Click only	Click and scroll, but not type	Terminals, IDEs
Full control	Click, type, drag, keyboard shortcuts	Everything else

Computer Use — CLI vs Desktop Differences

Feature	Desktop	CLI
Platforms	macOS and Windows	macOS only
Enable	Toggle in Settings > General	Enable computer-use in /mcp
Denied apps list	Configurable in Settings	Not yet available
Auto-unhide toggle	Optional	Always on

Computer Use — Safety

• Per-app approval required each session (30-minute expiry for Dispatch-spawned sessions)
• Terminal excluded from screenshots (Claude cannot see its own output)
• Esc key aborts computer use from anywhere and releases the lock
• Only one session can control the machine at a time (machine-wide lock)
• Apps with broad reach (terminals, Finder, System Settings) show extra warnings before approval

Full Documentation

For the complete official documentation, see the reference files:

• Use Claude Code Desktop — sessions, permission modes, diff view, preview servers, computer use, parallel sessions, SSH, enterprise configuration, and CLI comparison
• Get started with the desktop app — installation walkthrough and first session guide for macOS and Windows
• Use Claude Code in VS Code — extension installation, prompt box, @-mentions, plugin management, MCP, git workflows, third-party providers, and the built-in IDE MCP server
• JetBrains IDEs — plugin installation, usage, configuration, remote development, WSL2 setup, and troubleshooting
• Use Claude Code with Chrome (beta) — capabilities, prerequisites, CLI and VS Code usage, example workflows, and troubleshooting
• Let Claude use your computer from the CLI — enabling computer use, per-app approvals, safety guardrails, example workflows, and CLI vs Desktop differences

Sources

• Use Claude Code Desktop: https://code.claude.com/docs/en/desktop.md
• Get started with the desktop app: https://code.claude.com/docs/en/desktop-quickstart.md
• Use Claude Code in VS Code: https://code.claude.com/docs/en/vs-code.md
• JetBrains IDEs: https://code.claude.com/docs/en/jetbrains.md
• Use Claude Code with Chrome (beta): https://code.claude.com/docs/en/chrome.md
• Let Claude use your computer from the CLI: https://code.claude.com/docs/en/computer-use.md