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Claude Code connects to your IDE over a local MCP (Model Context Protocol) transport. Once connected, Claude can open files, display diffs, and navigate to locations directly inside your editor.

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Supported IDEs

VS Code

Install the Claude Code extension from the VS Code Marketplace.

Cursor

Supported via the same VS Code-compatible extension.

Windsurf

Supported via the same VS Code-compatible extension.

JetBrains IDEs

IntelliJ IDEA, PyCharm, WebStorm, GoLand, Rider, CLion, RubyMine, DataGrip, DataSpell, Aqua, Android Studio, and more. Install the Claude Code plugin from the JetBrains Marketplace.
Only one Claude Code instance can be connected to VS Code at a time.

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Installing the extension or plugin

1

Open the Extensions panel

Press Ctrl+Shift+X (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Shift+X (macOS).
2

Search for Claude Code

Search for Claude Code and click Install.
3

Reload

Reload the window when prompted. The extension activates automatically.

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The /ide command

The /ide command manages your IDE connection from within Claude Code. 
/ide
Running /ide opens an interactive selector listing all IDEs that have the Claude Code extension or plugin installed and are currently running. Select an IDE to connect, or select None to disconnect. 
/ide open
Running /ide open opens the current project (or active worktree) in a connected IDE. For VS Code-based editors, this uses the code CLI. For JetBrains IDEs, you are shown the path to open manually.

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Auto-connect

Claude Code can connect to your IDE automatically when it starts. Enable auto-connect in one of these ways:
  • Run /config and enable Auto-connect to IDE.
  • Start Claude Code with the --ide flag.
  • Set the environment variable CLAUDE_CODE_AUTO_CONNECT_IDE=1.
To disable auto-connect, set CLAUDE_CODE_AUTO_CONNECT_IDE=0.
If you run Claude Code inside a supported IDE terminal (for example, the integrated terminal in VS Code or a JetBrains terminal), auto-connect is enabled by default.

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Features available through IDE integration

When Claude Code is connected to your IDE, the following capabilities are available:
  • Diff view — Claude can display code changes as a visual diff directly in your editor rather than in the terminal.
  • File opening — Claude can open specific files and jump to exact line numbers.
  • Workspace context — Claude receives the list of workspace folders open in your IDE, helping it understand multi-root projects.
  • Extension/plugin installation — The /ide command can install the Claude Code extension or plugin into a running IDE without leaving the terminal.

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Viewing diffs in your IDE

When Claude modifies files and your IDE is connected, diffs are surfaced in the IDE’s native diff viewer. This gives you syntax highlighting, side-by-side comparison, and inline accept/reject controls. If multiple VS Code windows are open, Claude connects to the one whose workspace folder matches the current working directory. Other running instances are listed as unavailable: 
Found 2 other running IDE(s). However, their workspace/project directories
do not match the current cwd.

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Connection status

The IDE connection status (connected, pending, or disconnected) is reflected in the Claude Code UI. The connection goes through MCP using either WebSocket (ws:) or SSE (http:) transport, depending on how the extension exposes itself. The connection attempt times out after 35 seconds. If the IDE does not respond within that window, Claude Code reports a timeout and returns to the disconnected state.

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Troubleshooting

  • Confirm the extension or plugin is installed in your IDE.
  • For JetBrains IDEs, ensure you have fully restarted the IDE after installing the plugin — a reload is not sufficient.
  • Make sure the IDE is running before opening Claude Code.
  • The IDE’s workspace or project folder must match the directory where you launched Claude Code.
  • The MCP connection attempt times out after 35 seconds. Try running /ide again to reconnect.
  • Check that no firewall or security policy is blocking local loopback connections.
  • Restarting the IDE and then re-running /ide often resolves transient failures.
  • Run /ide and select None to disconnect, then select the IDE again to retry.
  • If the IDE was updated recently, restart it so the extension picks up any changes.
The JetBrains plugin requires a complete IDE restart (not just a project reload). Close and reopen the IDE, then run /ide to connect.If the plugin still does not appear, visit the plugin installation docs at: https://docs.claude.com/s/claude-code-jetbrains