[BUG] Difference in prompt queuing behavior between vscode extension and CLI

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?

I recently updated from version 2.1.153 to 2.1.178. I mainly use Claude in the VSCode extension. Previously, when I would send multiple prompts back to back while the agent is working on the first prompt it would pause to process my follow up. Since I updated to 2.1.178 that isn't happening anymore. Sometimes it addresses my follow up prompt after it finishes the previous one, other times it is completely ignoring my follow up prompts. I noticed the behavior in CLI is different than the GUI: it will visibly queue my follow up message (shows them queuing at the bottom instead of getting lost in the chat) and act on them when it finishes from the current prompt. Additionally, the extension doesn't show /btw as a known command, and when I tried to use it, it didn't do anything in the GUI. In the CLI it shows the answer to /btw under and in-parallel-to the main answer to the main prompt.

What Should Happen?

Claude should not be ignoring follow up prompts in the VSCode extension, it should queue them and process them like it does in CLI. It should also support /btw.

Error Messages/Logs

Steps to Reproduce

1. Open claude code extension in vscode
2. ask it a question (e.g. what is a compiler)
3. while it thinks about that question, ask it another question (e.g. what is a C++ atomic)

(It doesn't show any indication that your second question is queued, sometimes it answers it sometimes it doesn't. If you do the same in CLI, it will show the messages queuing in the bottom)

1. Try /btw. It does nothing. In CLI it will show the answer to the /btw below the main prompt answer.

Claude Model

Opus

Is this a regression?

Yes, this worked in a previous version

Last Working Version

_No response_

Claude Code Version

2.1.178

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

Ubuntu/Debian Linux

Terminal/Shell

VS Code integrated terminal

Additional Information

_No response_