[FEATURE] Option to disable Up/Down arrow input history recall in VS Code extension
Status Closed — not planned
Maintainer reply None cached
Activity 8 comments · opened Apr 20, 2026 · closed Jun 14, 2026
Preflight Checklist
- [x] I have searched existing requests and this feature hasn't been requested yet
- [x] This is a single feature request (not multiple features)
Problem Statement
Up/Down arrows in the VS Code extension chat input recall previous messages when the cursor reaches the top or bottom of the input.
Proposed Solution
Add a VS Code extension setting like claudeCode.inputHistoryNavigation that controls whether Up/Down arrow keys trigger history recall at the input boundary. When disabled, Up/Down should only move the cursor within the text.
Alternative Solutions
No workaround exists. The behavior is not exposed via any setting or configuration.
Priority
Medium - Would be very helpful
Feature Category
Configuration and settings
Use Case Example
Writing a multiline prompt in the VS Code extension chat input, pressing Up to navigate within the text, and accidentally recalling a previous message - losing what I was typing.
Additional Context
_No response_
8 Comments
Found 2 possible duplicate issues:
This issue will be automatically closed as a duplicate in 3 days.
🤖 Generated with Claude Code
#37401 is locked.
#49906 reports this as a bug - it's not a bug. It's an unconfigurable feature that should have a setting for users who don't want this behavior.
This is a 2-minute fix with tons of requests dating back months. Why is this not being dealt with?
Desperately need this. Can't tell you how many long messages I've lost from this annoying behavior. We NEED a setting to disable.
Can't you just vibecode this feature perhaps, lol?
__Prompt suggestion:_ Dear Claude. Can you please remove the most annoying shortcut key ever that clears specifications, so the poor developers and vibecoders don't need to write it somewhere else and then copy it here every damn time they do not actually forget about this annoying feature, so they need to actually write everything again!?_
::sarcasm::
Closing for now — inactive for too long. Please open a new issue if this is still relevant.
this is relevant, still experiencing this :(
Still very much relevant. Adding context from a Linux + VS Code user:
Since this happens inside a webview, there is no workaround via
keybindings.json—VS Code's keybinding system simply doesn't reach events dispatched inside the panel.
The extension settings also expose nothing to control this. There is literally zero way
to disable it short of editing the extension's minified JS.
The impact is real: writing a long multiline prompt, pressing Up to navigate within the
text, and losing everything to history recall with no undo that brings back the full draft.
Reopening or tracking this via #78643 which covers the same request specifically for the
VS Code extension context.
Please reconsider the "not planned" status — the fix is a single boolean setting check
and the demand is clearly there across multiple linked issues (#37401, #49906, #53107).