Feature Request: Claude Desktop App should support live IDE selection context (like CLI /ide command)

Summary

The Claude Desktop App (Code mode) should support the same live IDE selection context that the Claude Code CLI provides via the /ide command and WebSocket connection to IDE plugins (JetBrains, VS Code).

Current State

• Claude Code CLI can connect to JetBrains/VS Code plugins via WebSocket and receives live, push-based context: selected text, active file, diagnostics — all injected automatically into the conversation
• Claude Desktop App (Code mode) can only interact with IDEs through MCP servers, which are pull-based (the model must actively call a tool). The JetBrains MCP Server doesn't even offer a get_selected_text tool, so there's no way to access the user's current selection at all

The Gap

The Desktop App provides a significantly better UX than the CLI (visual diffs, session management, connectors, etc.), but lacks the live IDE context that makes the CLI so powerful for daily coding work. Users are forced to choose between:

1. CLI — great IDE integration, but terminal-based UI
2. Desktop App — beautiful UI, but no live IDE context

Proposed Solution

Add support for the same WebSocket-based IDE integration mechanism that the CLI uses:

• The Desktop App should be able to connect to the existing JetBrains/VS Code Claude Code plugins
• Live selection context, active file, and diagnostics should be pushed into the conversation automatically (not requiring the model to poll via MCP tools)
• This could work via the same lock file discovery mechanism (~/.claude/ide/<port>.lock) that the CLI already uses

Why This Matters

• The IDE plugin infrastructure already exists (JetBrains plugin, VS Code extension)
• The WebSocket protocol already exists (used by the CLI)
• The Desktop App just needs to connect to the same endpoint
• This would make the Desktop App the definitive Claude Code experience — best UI + best IDE integration

Related

• JetBrains MCP Server Plugin feature request for get_editor_selection: https://github.com/JetBrains/mcp-server-plugin/issues/49 (MCP-based workaround, but pull-based and inferior to the WebSocket approach)

Environment

• Claude Desktop App (Windows)
• WebStorm 2025.3 with Claude Code JetBrains plugin installed
• Claude Code CLI works fine with /ide from external terminal