Why VSCode + Claude Code Is a Game‑Changer for AI‑Powered Coding

Installation and Configuration

Search for Claude Code in the VSCode Marketplace and click Install.

To bypass the login prompt, edit the configuration file at C:\Users\<username>\.claude.json and set:

{
  "hasCompletedOnboarding": true
}

Use the CC Switch tool to select domestic large‑model providers when the project does not require complex models.

If you use a cloud provider’s Coding Plan, configure different models (e.g., Haiku, Sonnet, Opus) in the same session by following the same JSON pattern.

Usage

After installation, Claude Code detects the selected code in the editor, enabling code explanations that were impossible with the CLI version.

Click the mode switch button in the lower‑right corner to change Modes (editing styles) and Effort (thinking depth).

The three editing modes are illustrated below; choose the appropriate mode based on your workflow.

Five effort levels are shown in the next diagram; from version 4.7 the default is xhigh, which drops to high when a non‑Opus model is selected.

Click the Show Command Menu button to list all commands. Previously the CLI required typing /config; now you can toggle options with a single click.

Hovering over a command shows a tooltip that explains its purpose, saving time searching for documentation.

The /mcp command opens a graphical view of the current MCP service status.

To restore a previous conversation, click the Session History button, which replaces the older /resume CLI command.

Conclusion

The VSCode Claude Code extension provides a rich, context‑aware coding assistant with visual controls, multiple editing modes, and configurable effort levels, making it far more powerful than the earlier IDEA CLI plugin.