[Bug] File links use incorrect URI format in WSL + VS Code Remote

Bug Description

Claude Code Bug Report: File Links Don't Work in WSL + VS Code Remote

Summary

File links generated by Claude Code's Read/Edit tool results use file:/// URIs which fail to open when clicked in a WSL environment accessed via VS Code Remote.

Environment

• OS: Windows 11 with WSL2 (Ubuntu)
• IDE: VS Code Insiders 1.108.2 (running on Windows, connected to WSL via Remote - WSL extension)
• Claude Code Version: 2.1.29
• Claude Code Location: panel (via claudeCode.preferredLocation setting)
• Node: Linux native via nvm (not Windows node)
• Installation Method: npm global install in WSL

Steps to Reproduce

1. Open VS Code Insiders on Windows
2. Connect to WSL using the Remote - WSL extension
3. Open an integrated terminal in VS Code (which runs in WSL)
4. Run Claude Code in the terminal
5. Ask Claude to edit any file (e.g., "update dummy.json")
6. Observe the file link in the output (hover shows file:///home/username/path/to/file)
7. Ctrl+click the link

Expected Behavior

The file should open in VS Code's editor pane.

Actual Behavior

A Windows error dialog appears:

• Title: "Visual Studio Code - Insiders"
• Message: "An error occurred opening an external program"
• Details: "Failed to open: The system cannot find the file specified. (0x2)"

Root Cause Analysis

Claude Code generates terminal hyperlinks with file:/// URIs pointing to Linux paths:

file:///home/aircraft/create/ThinAir/projects/vision-ast/va.monorepo.v2/dummy.json

When VS Code on Windows receives this link:

1. It recognizes it as a file:// protocol
2. It attempts to resolve /home/aircraft/... as a Windows path
3. Windows cannot find this path (it's a Linux path)
4. Error 0x2 (ERROR_FILE_NOT_FOUND) is returned

Correct URI Format for WSL

For files in WSL accessed via VS Code Remote, the URI should be:

vscode-remote://wsl+Ubuntu/home/aircraft/create/ThinAir/projects/vision-ast/va.monorepo.v2/dummy.json

Or alternatively, the UNC path format:

\\wsl$\Ubuntu\home\aircraft\create\ThinAir\projects\vision-ast\va.monorepo.v2\dummy.json

Detection Logic Suggestion

Claude Code could detect WSL + VS Code Remote by checking:

1. WSL Detection:

• Check for /proc/version containing "microsoft" or "WSL"
• Check for WSL_DISTRO_NAME environment variable

1. VS Code Remote Detection:

• Check for VSCODE_IPC_HOOK_CLI environment variable
• Check for TERM_PROGRAM=vscode
• The IDE connection info in ~/.claude/ide/ shows ideName: "Visual Studio Code"

1. Get WSL Distro Name:

• $WSL_DISTRO_NAME environment variable (e.g., "Ubuntu")

When all conditions are met, generate links as:

vscode-remote://wsl+${WSL_DISTRO_NAME}${absolutePath}

Environment Variables Available for Detection

# WSL-specific
WSL_DISTRO_NAME=Ubuntu
WSL_INTEROP=/run/WSL/8_interop

# VS Code-specific
TERM_PROGRAM=vscode
VSCODE_IPC_HOOK_CLI=/run/user/1000/vscode-ipc-...

Workarounds Attempted (None Successful)

1. Creating symlink for code command - Doesn't affect link generation
2. Checking VS Code settings - No relevant terminal link settings
3. Checking Claude Code config - No URI format configuration available

Comparison: Working vs Non-Working Links

Working (regular terminal output, e.g., from echo):

• Plain text file paths are detected by VS Code's built-in terminal link provider
• VS Code knows it's in a WSL context and handles the path correctly

Not Working (Claude Code tool output):

• Claude Code generates OSC 8 hyperlinks with explicit file:// URIs
• The explicit URI bypasses VS Code's path translation logic
• Windows receives the raw Linux path and fails

Additional Context

• This issue likely affects all WSL users running Claude Code through VS Code Remote
• The issue may also affect other remote development scenarios (SSH, containers)
• Regular terminal file path detection works correctly - only Claude Code's explicit links fail

Files Referenced

• Claude Code IDE connection: ~/.claude/ide/ (shows VS Code connection details)
• VS Code settings: /mnt/c/Users/danie/AppData/Roaming/Code - Insiders/User/settings.json

Suggested Fix Priority

High - This breaks a core UX feature (click-to-open files) for all WSL users, which is a significant portion of the Windows developer user base.

Environment Info

• Platform: linux
• Terminal: vscode
• Version: 2.1.29
• Feedback ID: a7352649-7065-4fb8-8673-8ddeeaa227a7

Errors

[{"error":"McpError: MCP error -32000: Connection closed\n    at fromError (/$bunfs/root/claude:792:15268)\n    at _onclose (/$bunfs/root/claude:792:21728)\n    at <anonymous> (/$bunfs/root/claude:792:21042)\n    at onCloseHandler (/$bunfs/root/claude:3216:2618)\n    at emit (node:events:101:22)\n    at <an…

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