[DOCS] VS Code IDE lock-file path omits `CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR` override

Documentation Type

Incorrect/outdated documentation

Documentation Location

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

Section/Topic

"The built-in IDE MCP server" section, especially the "Transport and authentication" paragraph

Current Documentation

The VS Code docs currently say:

Transport and authentication. The server binds to 127.0.0.1 on a random high port and is not reachable from other machines. Each extension activation generates a fresh random auth token that the CLI must present to connect. The token is written to a lock file under ~/.claude/ide/ with 0600 permissions in a 0700 directory, so only the user running VS Code can read it.

Related docs elsewhere already describe CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR as the config-directory override:

CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR | Override the configuration directory (default: ~/.claude). All settings, credentials, session history, and plugins are stored under this path.

On Windows, ~/.claude resolves to %USERPROFILE%\.claude. If you set CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR, every ~/.claude path on this page lives under that directory instead.

What's Wrong or Missing?

A. The VS Code page only documents the default lock-file location

The VS Code page hardcodes ~/.claude/ide/ for the IDE auth token lock file but does not say that this path relocates when CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR is set.

B. That wording is stale relative to the current behavior in v2.1.136

Claude Code v2.1.136 fixed IDE shell-integration lock files to respect CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR. After that fix, users who run Claude Code with a non-default config directory can be sent to the wrong location when troubleshooting IDE auto-connect or lock-file validation.

Suggested Improvement

Update the VS Code page's lock-file paragraph to mention the override explicitly.

Before:

The token is written to a lock file under ~/.claude/ide/...

After:

The token is written to a lock file under ~/.claude/ide/ by default. If CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR is set, the lock file lives under <CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR>/ide/ instead.

It would also help to add a short cross-reference to the environment variables page so readers troubleshooting IDE detection know where the effective directory comes from.

Impact

Medium - Makes feature difficult to understand

Additional Context

Affected Pages:

| Page | Line(s) | Context |
|------|---------|---------|
| https://code.claude.com/docs/en/vs-code | 436-443 | Built-in IDE MCP server section documents the lock-file path as ~/.claude/ide/ |
| https://code.claude.com/docs/en/env-vars | 163 | CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR defines the config-directory override |
| https://code.claude.com/docs/en/claude-directory | 1411-1413 | General rule that ~/.claude paths move under CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR |

Total scope: 1 page needs a wording update, with 2 supporting cross-references that already describe the directory override.