[VSCode] Disable editor group locking

Choose where Claude lives

You can drag the Claude panel to reposition it anywhere in VS Code. Grab the panel's tab or title bar and drag it to:

• Secondary sidebar: the right side of the window. Keeps Claude visible while you code.
• Primary sidebar: the left sidebar with icons for Explorer, Search, etc.
• Editor area: opens Claude as a tab alongside your files. Useful for side tasks.

When Claude opens a tab in a new editor group, the extension locks that group, so files you open while the Claude tab is focused go to another group instead of next to it.

To stop the extension from locking groups, turn off the Lock Editor Groups setting. Groups that are already locked stay locked until you unlock them. The setting requires Claude Code v2.1.274 or later.

Use the sidebar for your main Claude session and open additional tabs for side tasks. Claude remembers your preferred location. The Activity Bar sessions list icon is separate from the Claude panel: the sessions list is always visible in the Activity Bar, while the Claude panel icon only appears there when the panel is docked to the left sidebar.

After you run Developer: Reload Window or restart VS Code, whether a chat comes back with its conversation depends on where it was open:

• Editor tab: the conversation comes back with its tab.
• Sidebar: the conversation comes back if you sent a message or Claude responded in it within the last 10 minutes. If it doesn't come back, resume the conversation from Session history.

If the reload interrupted Claude mid-step, Claude continues that step when the conversation comes back, and a notice in the chat marks the continuation. Requires Claude Code v2.1.274 or later. If the step was interrupted more than an hour ago or the session is open elsewhere, the conversation comes back idle instead.

To turn continuation off, open the Continue After Reload setting and uncheck it.