[DOCS] VS Code diff review docs omit that Claude sees manual diff edits before approval

Resolved 💬 4 comments Opened Apr 16, 2026 by coygeek Closed Apr 19, 2026

Documentation Type

Missing documentation (feature not documented)

Documentation Location

https://code.claude.com/docs/en/vs-code

Section/Topic

"Review changes" in the VS Code extension guide

Current Documentation

The VS Code guide currently says:

When Claude wants to edit a file, it shows a side-by-side comparison of the original and proposed changes, then asks for permission. You can accept, reject, or tell Claude what to do instead.

The overview page currently summarizes the feature this way:

The VS Code extension provides inline diffs, @-mentions, plan review, and conversation history directly in your editor.

Neither page explains that you can edit the proposed content directly in the IDE diff and that Claude is informed about those edits before you accept the change.

What's Wrong or Missing?

Claude Code changelog v2.1.110 adds a user-visible IDE diff behavior: when you edit the proposed content in the IDE diff before accepting, the Write tool now informs the model about your edited version.

The current VS Code documentation only describes three outcomes for a proposed edit: accept it, reject it, or tell Claude what to do instead. That misses an important fourth workflow: directly modifying the proposed patch in the IDE review UI and having Claude continue from the version you edited.

Without this explanation, users have no reason to know that manual edits in the diff viewer are part of the Claude feedback loop rather than a local adjustment Claude never sees.

Suggested Improvement

Update the VS Code "Review changes" section to document the editable diff workflow explicitly.

Suggested addition:

You can also edit the proposed content directly in the IDE diff before accepting it. Claude sees those edits and uses the modified version as the basis for the final file change, which makes it easier to make small adjustments without rejecting the edit and writing a separate follow-up prompt.

Also update the VS Code feature summary (and any IDE integration overview text that mentions inline diffs or diff viewing) so users can discover this behavior before they hit a permission prompt.

Impact

Medium - Makes feature difficult to understand

Additional Context

Affected Pages:

| Page | Line(s) | Context |
|------|---------|---------|
| https://code.claude.com/docs/en/vs-code | 78-81 | Describes the side-by-side proposed edit review flow, but not direct editing of the proposal or Claude being informed about those edits |
| https://code.claude.com/docs/en/overview | 87-95 | Summarizes VS Code as providing inline diffs, but does not mention that the diff itself is editable and feeds back into Claude's edit flow |
| https://code.claude.com/docs/en/jetbrains | 22-26 | Mentions IDE diff viewing for JetBrains, but does not explain the editable-diff workflow if this behavior is shared across IDE integrations |

Total scope: 3 pages affected

Source: Changelog v2.1.110

Release entry under review: "Write tool now informs the model when you edit the proposed content in the IDE diff before accepting"

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