Voice input mic icon missing in VS Code Remote SSH sessions

Description

The microphone/voice input icon that appears in the Claude Code VS Code extension's chat input area is not shown when connected to a remote host via VS Code Remote SSH. The same icon appears normally in local VS Code windows.

Steps to Reproduce

1. Open a local VS Code window — observe the mic icon is present in the Claude Code chat panel
2. Open a VS Code window connected to a remote host via Remote SSH
3. Observe the mic icon is absent from the Claude Code chat panel

Expected Behavior

The mic icon should appear in Remote SSH sessions and capture audio from the local machine's microphone, since the user is physically at the local machine.

Suggested Approach

VS Code's extension architecture supports splitting extension functionality between the local (UI) side and the remote (workspace) side. Audio capture could run on the local/UI extension host — which has access to the local microphone — and pipe the transcribed text (or audio stream) to the remote extension host where the Claude Code session runs.

VS Code's own built-in voice features already work this way in remote sessions, so there's precedent for the pattern.

Environment

• OS: Linux (local and remote)
• VS Code: Remote SSH extension
• Claude Code extension: latest (as of June 2026)

Related Issues

• #26113 — original feature request for the mic button
• #37919 — extensionKind: ["ui"] rendering issues in Remote SSH