Add Claude Code to your IDE
Learn how to add Claude Code to your favorite IDE
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)
Features
- Quick launch: Use
Cmd+Esc
(Mac) orCtrl+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) orAlt+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
Installation
To install Claude Code on VS Code and popular forks like Cursor, Windsurf, and VSCodium:
- Open VS Code
- Open the integrated terminal
- Run
claude
- the extension will auto-install
To install Claude Code on VS Code and popular forks like Cursor, Windsurf, and VSCodium:
- Open VS Code
- Open the integrated terminal
- Run
claude
- the extension will auto-install
To install Claude Code on JetBrains IDEs like IntelliJ, PyCharm, Android Studio, WebStorm, PhpStorm and GoLand, find and install the Claude Code plugin from the marketplace and restart your IDE.
The plugin may also be auto-installed when you run claude
in the integrated terminal. The IDE must be restarted completely to take effect.
Remote Development Limitations: When using JetBrains Remote Development, you must install the plugin in the remote host via Settings > Plugin (Host)
.
Usage
From your IDE
Run claude
from your IDE’s integrated terminal, and all features will be active.
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.
Configuration
IDE integrations work with Claude Code’s configuration system:
- Run
claude
- Enter the
/config
command - Adjust your preferences. Setting the diff tool to
auto
will enable automatic IDE detection
Troubleshooting
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) orCtrl+Shift+P
(Windows/Linux) and search for “Shell Command: Install ‘code’ command in PATH” (or the equivalent for your IDE)
- For VS Code:
- Check that VS Code has permission to install extensions
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.