[BUG] Title: "Panel (New Tab)" option in preferredLocation setting does not work
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?
When I select "Panel (New Tab)" from the dropdown, Claude Code opens in the right sidebar instead of as an editor tab. I want it to open as a tab in the editor area (next to my file tabs), which is possible when I manually drag the panel there, but there's no setting to make it open that way by default.
What Should Happen?
When I select "Panel (New Tab)", Claude Code should open in the editor area as a tab (next to my file tabs like PROXY-BACKEND.md), not in the right sidebar. Since I can manually drag it to become an editor tab, this functionality should be available as a default setting.
Error Messages/Logs
Steps to Reproduce
- Open VS Code Settings (Ctrl+,)
- Search for "Claude Code: Preferred Location"
- Click the dropdown - three options appear: "sidebar", "panel", and "Panel (New Tab)"
- Select "Panel (New Tab)"
- Close and reopen Claude Code
- Result: Claude Code opens in the right sidebar, NOT as an editor tab
Note: I can manually drag the Claude Code panel to the editor area to make it a tab, but there's no setting to make it open there by default.
Claude Model
Sonnet (default)
Is this a regression?
No, this never worked
Last Working Version
_No response_
Claude Code Version
Claude Code for VS Code v.2.1.1
Platform
Anthropic API
Operating System
Windows
Terminal/Shell
Windows Terminal
Additional Information
_No response_
5 Comments
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As a first time user of Claude Code and on a laptop, it'd be great to have full horizontal width by having the session appear as a normal editor tab just like all other files. For now I'll have to remember to drag the side panel over at launch, but it'd be wonderful if this setting would persist.
Hi Frank,
Thanks for the feature request. I'm actually experiencing a related but more critical issue with session persistence on Windows.
I can confirm there's a bug with the sessions UI - I've verified with Claude itself that the session folders exist in my local filesystem, but the UI interface doesn't display them. This is causing significant workflow disruptions:
I really love the Windows app's UX/UI design - it genuinely makes me feel more energetic and productive compared to other tools. The design work is excellent. However, if this session persistence issue continues, I'll have to fall back to the VSCode extension, which is functional but doesn't have the same polished experience.
Would it be possible to investigate this sessions bug? It seems like there's a disconnect between the filesystem state and what the UI is reading.
Thanks for your work on this tool!
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________________________________
From: Frank Laub @.*>
Sent: Monday, February 16, 2026 7:31:09 AM
To: anthropics/claude-code @.*>
Cc: Safa Souli @.>; Author @.>
Subject: Re: [anthropics/claude-code] [BUG] Title: "Panel (New Tab)" option in preferredLocation setting does not work (Issue #16821)
[https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/111859?s=20&v=4]flaub left a comment (anthropics/claude-code#16821)<https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code/issues/16821#issuecomment-3906696250>
As a first time user of Claude Code and on a laptop, it'd be great to have full horizontal width by having the session appear as a normal editor tab just like all other files. For now I'll have to remember to drag the side panel over at launch, but it'd be wonderful if this setting would persist.
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Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub<https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code/issues/16821#issuecomment-3906696250>, or unsubscribe<https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AKLHHGAPZFHSZT77HJ2JTP34MFP23AVCNFSM6AAAAACRBIX476VHI2DSMVQWIX3LMV43OSLTON2WKQ3PNVWWK3TUHMZTSMBWGY4TMMRVGA>.
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I am experiences the same issue in MacOS in the latest VSCode version
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