[BUG]

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?

Claude Code opens multiple VS Code instances on startup (Windows)

What Should Happen?

Description

Every time I start Claude Code from the terminal, 2-3 instances of Visual Studio Code are opened automatically. This also happens during conversations — when Claude Code
executes Bash commands that interact with VS Code (e.g., code --list-extensions), additional instances open.

Troubleshooting already performed

1. Set window.restoreWindows: "none" in VS Code settings — Problem persists. Reverted.
2. Uninstalled the Claude Code VS Code extension (anthropic.claude-code) — Problem persists. This confirms the issue is in Claude Code CLI itself, not the extension.
3. No hooks configured — Verified ~/.claude/hooks/ does not exist.
4. Only MCP server is context7 (stdio-based) — Not IDE-related.

Environment

• Claude Code version: 2.1.69
• OS: Windows 10 (MINGW64/Git Bash)
• Node.js: v24.11.1
• Shell: Git Bash (terminal.integrated.defaultProfile.windows: "Git Bash")

Steps to reproduce

1. Close all VS Code instances
2. Open a terminal (Git Bash)
3. Run claude to start Claude Code in any project directory
4. 2-3 VS Code instances open immediately

Expected behavior

No VS Code instances should open on startup (or at most 1 if IDE integration is needed).

Additional context

• During an active conversation, when Claude Code ran code --list-extensions via Bash, 2 additional VS Code instances opened.
• The issue persists even after uninstalling the Claude Code VS Code extension.
• officialMarketplaceAutoInstalled: true is set in ~/.claude.json.

Error Messages/Logs

Steps to Reproduce

claude

Claude Model

None

Is this a regression?

Yes, this worked in a previous version

Last Working Version

_No response_

Claude Code Version

2.1.69 (Claude Code)

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

Windows

Terminal/Shell

VS Code integrated terminal

Additional Information

_No response_