VSCode extension: hotkeys for navigation
Status Fixed / completed
Maintainer reply None cached
Activity 9 comments · opened Jun 23, 2025 · closed Aug 17, 2026
This is a feature request. I'd like the ability to use keyboard shortcuts for the following:
- switching from the main text editor group to the Claude Code extension terminal.
cmd+escdoesn't work, because it will re-launch a new session. - minimizing the Claude Code terminal/group and switching back to the main text editor group.
I can sort of simulate this with the following:
- go to Claude Code if open:
cmd+2 - go to main text editor group:
cmd+1 - "hide" Claude Code without closing: switch to main text editor group, then maximize via
cmd+k cmd+m
But it would be nice to toggle Claude Code on and off without terminating the session.
Here's a strawman:
cmd-escopens a new Claude Code editor group if there is none already, or opens and focuses a pre-existing Claude Code editor groupcmd-escin the Claude Code editor group minimizes the group and switches back to the main text editing group- For partial backward compatibility, the pre-existing
cmd-escaction is bound tocmd-shift-esc
Thanks!
Showing cached comments. Read the full discussion on GitHub ↗
7 Comments
This will improve the UX 1000%, but why does it receive so little engagement?
This issue has been inactive for 30 days. If the issue is still occurring, please comment to let us know. Otherwise, this issue will be automatically closed in 30 days for housekeeping purposes.
It seems like the Claude VSCode extension has gone in a bit of a different direction: cmd+escape will move between the chat window and the last text buffer. That's better than the original state (cmd+escape would open a new claude code tab), although it's not exactly the same thing as my original request, which was to hide the chat buffer.
I'll leave this issue open for now and see if it gets auto-closed in a month. I'm guessing a hotkey-to-close feature is unlikely, since there are incentives to keeping the Claude pane open as much as possible.
But that UX is really bad 🥲
The
cmd+escshortcut doesn't even work on Windows (assuming thatcmdis meant to be interpreted asctrlon PC keyboards). Honestly this is a bewildering situation.a shortcut to hide would improve 1000%
Try mapping a keyboard shortcut to 'View: Toggle Secondary Side Bar Visibility' - this worked for me.