[BUG] Cannot load "Claude Code for VS Code" extension when open project with "Remote Repositories"

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 open a github repository using Remote Repositories extension, then I open "Claude Code for VS Code" in secondary sidebar, I got the error: "An error occurred while loading view: claudeVSCodeSidebarSecondary"

<img width="496" height="217" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/5f7e9192-d27d-4b1c-93d0-a18ddf8f1b92" />

I am using Claude Code for VS Code extension 2.1.70 in VS Code 1.110.0.

Version: 1.110.0
Commit: 0870c2a0c7c0564e7631bfed2675573a94ba4455
Date: 2026-03-04T01:20:28.863Z
Electron: 39.6.0
ElectronBuildId: 13330601
Chromium: 142.0.7444.265
Node.js: 22.22.0
V8: 14.2.231.22-electron.0
OS: Windows_NT x64 10.0.26200

What Should Happen?

I am not quite sure what should be the best behavior because there are no directories and offline files for Claude Code to access.

Maybe it could create a temporary directory as the context for loading Claude Code.
Then "Claude Code for VS Code" in secondary sidebar should be loaded with a warning.

It would be nice if Claude Code can access remote files and continue working as normal (with degraded performance). But if it is not possible, then at least, it should still allow users to chat and ask questions.

Error Messages/Logs

Steps to Reproduce

1. Install Remote Repositories extension
2. Open a github repository using command "Remote Repositories: Open Remote Repositories..."
3. Open "Claude Code for VS Code" in a sidebar
4. Error appears: "An error occurred while loading view: claudeVSCodeSidebarSecondary"

Claude Model

Sonnet (default)

Is this a regression?

No, this never worked

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_