Code Astrogator

Claude Code chat tool window for Visual Studio 2026

Integrates the Claude Code CLI into a dockable chat panel — streaming responses, live tool activity, and interactive approve/reject for Claude's edits and commands, right inside the IDE.

Created by Jan Hüls "finex7070" StickyStoneStudio GmbH 🚀

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What it is

Code Astrogator brings Claude Code into Visual Studio as a dockable chat panel. It drives the Claude Code CLI behind the scenes, so it works with whatever you already use to sign in: both a Claude subscription (OAuth) and an API key are supported — the extension never handles your credentials itself.

Features

• Streaming chat with Markdown (incl. tables), code blocks with copy / insert-into-editor, and extended-thinking display.
• Tool activity cards for Read / Grep / Bash / Edit / Write / MCP tools, with collapsible input/output and success/error tinting.
• Permission cards — review and approve or reject Claude's file edits and commands; auto-approved edits show as a green pre-decided card. (An inline diff shown directly in the editor is planned.)
• Auto-approve patterns — allow chosen commands/MCP tools to run without prompting, plus an "Always" button on permission cards.
• Interactive questions — Claude's follow-up questions appear as in-turn cards with clickable options and a free-text "Other".
• Model · Mode popover — pick model, effort, ultracode, and permission mode (Ask / Auto-accept edits / Plan / Bypass); your choices persist across chats and restarts.
• Usage meters — session and weekly usage with reset-time tooltips and a plan badge (read locally, no extra cost).
• Session history per workspace; conversations resume across VS restarts.
• Context attachments — @-mention autocomplete, file drag-and-drop from Explorer, clipboard image/file paste, an active-file reference (with selected line ranges), and editor right-click → "Add file / selection to Claude prompt".
• Remote control — broadcast a session to a QR-code/link, then import it back when you stop.
• Theming — Dark / Light / Auto (follows the VS theme) and a configurable accent color.

Requirements

• Visual Studio 2026 (Community, Professional, or Enterprise).
• The Claude Code CLI installed and on your PATH (or point to it in settings) and signed in:
  • Subscription: run claude /login.
  • API key: sign in with your Anthropic API key.

Installation

1. Download the latest CodeAstrogator.vsix from the Releases page.
2. Close Visual Studio, then double-click the .vsix to install (it over-installs any previous version).
3. Reopen Visual Studio and show the panel via View → Other Windows → Code Astrogator.

Getting started

1. Make sure the Claude Code CLI is signed in (see Requirements). If not, the panel shows a sign-in hint.
2. Type a prompt and press Enter (Shift+Enter for a new line).
3. When Claude wants to edit a file or run a command, an approval card appears — review it and Approve or Reject.
4. Use the toolbar to attach files (+), run slash commands (/), or change model and permission mode (Model · Mode).

The working directory of each turn is your open solution/folder, so Claude has your project context.

Settings

Open settings via the gear icon → "Advanced options…". From there you can configure, among others:

• The Claude CLI path (if it isn't on PATH), default model / effort, theme, and verbosity.
• Permission mode and the auto-approve pattern list.
• Restore-last-session, auto-add active file, include selected lines.
• Prompt timeout, and whether to use a persistent CLI session.
• Whether to receive announcements and update notifications.

Quick appearance options (theme, accent color) are also available directly in the gear popover.

Release notes

See CHANGELOG.md for the version history.

License

GNU Affero General Public License v3.0 (AGPLv3)

This project is open-source and available under the AGPLv3 license.

✅ Commercial Use: You are free to use this extension for commercial work (e.g., in a paid development environment or for client projects). ✅ Modification: You are free to modify the code to suit your needs. 🔄 Copyleft: If you distribute a modified version — or make one available to others — you must release your modifications under the same AGPLv3 license. Closed-source proprietary forks are not allowed.

See the LICENSE file for full details.

"Claude" and "Claude Code" are products of Anthropic; this extension integrates the Claude Code CLI but is not affiliated with or endorsed by Anthropic.

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Made with ❤️ by Jan Hüls "finex7070" StickyStoneStudio GmbH