OpenClaude VS Code

The open AI coding assistant for VS Code — powered by any LLM you choose.

OpenAI · Anthropic · Google Gemini · DeepSeek · Ollama · AWS Bedrock · Vertex AI · GitHub Models · 200+ OpenAI-compatible endpoints.

Why OpenClaude?

Modern AI coding assistants are powerful — but they lock you into one provider, one billing account, one pricing tier. OpenClaude flips the model: one polished VS Code UI, any LLM backend you want.

• Already paying for OpenAI GPT-4o? Use it.
• Prefer Claude Sonnet via Anthropic's direct API? Use it.
• Running Ollama or LM Studio locally for privacy? Use it.
• On an enterprise plan with AWS Bedrock or Vertex AI? Use it.
• Hitting rate limits? Switch providers mid-session with /provider.

OpenClaude is a full-featured VS Code extension that wraps the open-source OpenClaude CLI. The CLI is where all the intelligence lives — tool use, provider routing, MCP, slash commands. The extension gives you a first-class editor experience on top: streaming chat panel, native diff viewer, @-mentions, session history, checkpoints, and more.

Table of Contents

• Features
• Install
• Quick Start
• Multi-Provider Support
• Keyboard Shortcuts
• Slash Commands
• Settings
• Architecture
• Contributing
• License

Features

Chat & Conversation

• Streaming chat panel with markdown rendering and syntax-highlighted code
• Tool-call visualization — collapsible blocks show what the AI is reading, editing, and running
• Session history — browse, resume, or fork any past conversation
• Checkpoint / rewind — snapshot the workspace and restore to any point
• Stop / interrupt generation at any time; no half-finished edits

Native VS Code Integration

• Diff viewer — AI-proposed changes open in VS Code's built-in diff editor with Accept / Reject buttons in the editor title bar
• @-mentions — reference files, folders, symbols, and line ranges for precise context
• Status bar with live token count and cost
• Git worktree support — run parallel AI sessions on the same repo without conflicts
• Onboarding walkthrough for first-time users

Multi-Provider Support

Switch between LLM providers on the fly via /provider, the provider badge, or env vars:

Developer Tools

• 5 permission modes — Default, Plan, Accept Edits, Bypass, Don't Ask
• MCP (Model Context Protocol) server integration — extend the AI with your own tools
• Plugin manager — install / update / manage MCP plugins from inside the editor
• Slash commands — /commit, /review, /diff, /resume, /compact, /mcp, and more
• Environment variable injection per workspace
• Respects .gitignore in file searches by default

Install

From the VS Code Marketplace (recommended)

Search for OpenClaude in the Extensions panel (Ctrl+Shift+X / Cmd+Shift+X) and click Install, or:

code --install-extension HarshAgarwal1012.openclaude-vscode

From a .vsix file (latest dev build)

Download the latest .vsix from Releases, then:

code --install-extension openclaude-vscode-0.2.5.vsix

Prerequisites

OpenClaude requires the underlying CLI:

npm install -g @gitlawb/openclaude

(The extension is a thin UI wrapper — all AI intelligence lives in the CLI.)

Quick Start

1. Install the CLI

npm install -g @gitlawb/openclaude

2. Configure a provider

OpenAI (simplest):

export CLAUDE_CODE_USE_OPENAI=1
export OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-your-key-here
export OPENAI_MODEL=gpt-4o

Anthropic (native Claude):

export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-your-key
# Claude Code OAuth also works if you're already signed in

Google Gemini:

export CLAUDE_CODE_USE_GEMINI=1
export GOOGLE_API_KEY=AIza-your-key
export GEMINI_MODEL=gemini-2.0-flash

Ollama (local, free, private):

ollama serve  # start Ollama first
export CLAUDE_CODE_USE_OPENAI=1
export OPENAI_API_KEY=ollama
export OPENAI_BASE_URL=http://localhost:11434/v1
export OPENAI_MODEL=llama3

AWS Bedrock:

export CLAUDE_CODE_USE_BEDROCK=1
export AWS_REGION=us-east-1
# Standard AWS credentials chain (env / ~/.aws / IAM role)

Any OpenAI-compatible endpoint (DeepSeek, Together, Fireworks, OpenRouter, …):

export CLAUDE_CODE_USE_OPENAI=1
export OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-your-key
export OPENAI_BASE_URL=https://api.deepseek.com/v1
export OPENAI_MODEL=deepseek-chat

Or just open OpenClaude and use /provider to set up providers interactively.

3. Open OpenClaude

• Press Cmd+Escape (macOS) / Ctrl+Escape (Windows/Linux), or
• Click the OpenClaude icon in the Activity Bar, or
• Run OpenClaude: Open in New Tab from the Command Palette

4. Start coding

Type your prompt. Use @ to mention files, / for slash commands. The AI edits stream into a VS Code diff view — accept, reject, or let it keep going.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Slash Commands

Type / in the chat input to browse all available commands. Highlights:

Settings

All settings live under openclaudeCode.* in VS Code settings:

Architecture

┌─────────────────────────────────┐
│  Webview (React + Tailwind)     │  ← UI: chat panel, diff, mentions
└───────────────┬─────────────────┘
                │ postMessage
┌───────────────▼─────────────────┐
│  Extension Host (TypeScript)    │  ← VS Code integration, permissions, sessions
└───────────────┬─────────────────┘
                │ stdin / stdout NDJSON
┌───────────────▼─────────────────┐
│  OpenClaude CLI (child process) │  ← Intelligence: tools, providers, MCP, plugins
└───────────────┬─────────────────┘
                │ OpenAI Chat Completions API
┌───────────────▼─────────────────┐
│  Any LLM provider               │  ← OpenAI / Anthropic / Gemini / Ollama / …
└─────────────────────────────────┘

The extension is deliberately thin. All provider logic, tool execution, MCP server plumbing, and slash-command handling happens inside the CLI — so upgrading the brain means npm install -g @gitlawb/openclaude@latest with no VS Code reinstall needed.

Contributing

git clone https://github.com/Harsh1210/openclaude-vscode
cd openclaude-vscode
npm install
cd webview && npm install && cd ..
npm run build

Development (watch mode):

npm run watch
# Press F5 in VS Code to launch an Extension Development Host

Run tests:

npm test

Package a .vsix:

npx @vscode/vsce package --no-dependencies --allow-missing-repository

Issues and PRs welcome — see the issue tracker.

License

MIT — see LICENSE.