[BUG] While Claude is generating a response in the VSCode extension, the chat panel is locked to auto-scroll

Preflight Checklist

• [x] I have searched existing issues and this hasn't been reported yet
• [x] This is a single bug report (please file separate reports for different bugs)
• [x] I am using the latest version of Claude Code

What's Wrong?

While Claude is generating a response in the VSCode extension, the chat panel is locked to auto-scroll to the bottom, preventing users from scrolling up to review earlier messages or context. It's particularly frustrating during long responses when users want to check something Claude said earlier or review the original question. Why it happens: The extension auto-follows the streaming response to keep the latest output visible, but it locks scrolling completely during generation rather than letting users manually override it. Current workarounds:
Stop generation - Click the stop button (⏸️) to pause Claude, scroll up to review what's needed, then ask Claude to continue
Wait it out - Once the response completes, scrolling is re-enabled
Copy to external editor - For long conversations, content can be copied out temporarily

What Should Happen?

it should not be locked to auto-scroll

Error Messages/Logs

Steps to Reproduce

Open VSCode with the Claude Code extension installed and authenticated
Open the Claude Code chat panel (if not already open)
Click the Claude icon in the activity bar, or
Use the command palette: Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+P → "Claude Code: Open Chat"
Send a prompt that will generate a long response (to make the scrolling issue apparent) Example prompt:
Please explain in detail how async/await works in Python, including:

• The event loop
• Coroutines and tasks
• Common patterns and best practices
• Error handling in async code
• Performance considerations

Please be thorough and include code examples for each section.
As soon as Claude starts generating the response, immediately try to scroll up in the chat panel
Use mouse wheel to scroll up
Or use trackpad scroll gesture
Or drag the scrollbar upward
Observe the issue:
The chat panel refuses to scroll up
It remains locked to the bottom, auto-following the streaming response
You cannot view earlier messages or the original prompt
The scroll position is forced to the bottom continuously
Verify the workaround:
Click the stop/pause button to halt generation
Scrolling should now work normally
You can review earlier messages
Expected behavior: Users should be able to scroll up during response generation to review context, with the auto-scroll being overridable by user interaction. Actual behavior: Scrolling is completely locked during generation, preventing access to earlier conversation context.

Claude Model

None

Is this a regression?

Yes, this worked in a previous version

Last Working Version

_No response_

Claude Code Version

2.0.37Open VSCode with the Claude Code extension installed and authenticated Open the Claude Code chat panel (if not already open) Click the Claude icon in the activity bar, or Use the command palette: Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+P → "Claude Code: Open Chat" Send a prompt that will generate a long response (to make the scrolling issue apparent) Example prompt: Please explain in detail how async/await works in Python, including: - The event loop - Coroutines and tasks - Common patterns and best practices - Error handling in async code - Performance considerations Please be thorough and include code examples for each section. As soon as Claude starts generating the response, immediately try to scroll up in the chat panel Use mouse wheel to scroll up Or use trackpad scroll gesture Or drag the scrollbar upward Observe the issue: The chat panel refuses to scroll up It remains locked to the bottom, auto-following the streaming response You cannot view earlier messages or the original prompt The scroll position is forced to the bottom continuously Verify the workaround: Click the stop/pause button to halt generation Scrolling should now work normally You can review earlier messages Expected behavior: Users should be able to scroll up during response generation to review context, with the auto-scroll being overridable by user interaction. Actual behavior: Scrolling is completely locked during generation, preventing access to earlier conversation context.

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

macOS

Terminal/Shell

Terminal.app (macOS)

Additional Information

_No response_