Claude Code in VSCode — Mac & PC

If you use the VSCode editor, you can use Claude in a side panel without leaving your work. The good news: it shares the same settings as the command-line version, so there's almost nothing extra to configure.

Step 1 — Set up the command-line version first

The VSCode extension uses the same gateway settings file (settings.json) as Claude Code. Complete Claude Code (CLI) on Cornell's AI Gateway first — install Claude Code and add your gateway settings. Once that works in the terminal, it will work in VSCode automatically.

Step 2 — Install the VSCode extension

1. Open VSCode.
2. Click the Extensions icon in the left sidebar (or press Cmd + Shift + X on Mac / Ctrl + Shift + X on PC).
3. Search for Claude Code (publisher: Anthropic).
4. Click Install.

Step 3 — Open the panel and confirm

1. Open the Claude Code panel (look for the Claude icon in the sidebar, or open the Command Palette with Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + P and run Claude Code: Open).
2. Ask it something simple, like Say hello.
3. Run /model to confirm the three Cornell models appear.

How do I know it worked?

• The panel answers without asking you to sign in to a personal account.
• /model lists claude-sonnet-4-6, claude-opus-4-8, claude-haiku-4-5 — the same models as the terminal. That confirms it's reading your Cornell gateway settings.

Troubleshooting

• The panel says it's not connected, or asks you to log in. VSCode may not have picked up your settings. Fully quit VSCode and reopen it. If you still see it, confirm the terminal version works first (Claude Code (CLI) on Cornell's AI Gateway, Step 3) — the extension depends on that same settings.json.
• More help: Claude on Cornell's Gateway — Troubleshooting.