Feature request: keyboard shortcut to switch between chats/sessions in the sidebar panel

Open 💬 0 comments Opened Jun 20, 2026 by finch039

Summary

The VS Code extension currently offers no way to switch between chat sessions in the sidebar panel using the keyboard. Please add bindable commands (e.g. "next session" / "previous session") so users can cycle through sidebar chats with a shortcut.

Current behavior

In the sidebar panel, multiple sessions can only be switched by clicking the history (clock) icon and picking from the "Search sessions…" dropdown with the mouse. After inspecting the extension (anthropic.claude-code 2.1.183), I confirmed:

  • The extension contributes no next/previous session/conversation command (the only session-related command is claude-vscode.reopenClosedSession).
  • The session list (claudeVSCodeSessionsList) is a webview, so keybindings.json commands like workbench.action.nextEditor cannot reach it.
  • There is no setting to enable such a shortcut.

As a result, keyboard-driven session switching is impossible in sidebar mode. The only keyboard-capable workaround is opening each chat as a separate editor tab (Open in New Tab, cmd+shift+escape), which defeats the purpose of the compact sidebar panel.

Requested behavior

Add commands such as claude-vscode.nextSession / claude-vscode.previousSession (bindable via keybindings.json), allowing users to map e.g. alt+cmd+[ / alt+cmd+] to cycle sessions while the Claude sidebar panel is focused.

Environment

  • Extension: anthropic.claude-code 2.1.183 (darwin-arm64)
  • OS: macOS (darwin)

View original on GitHub ↗