[FEATURE] Running/idle visual indicator on session tabs in VSCode extension
Resolved 💬 2 comments Opened Jun 20, 2026 by yufang900809 Closed Jun 23, 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
When multiple Claude Code sessions are open in the VSCode extension panel, I can't tell which one is actively running and which has finished without clicking into each tab. The session tabs only show names — no status indicator.
Proposed Solution
Suggested solution
Add a subtle visual indicator on each session tab:
- A small pulsing/animated dot (e.g. green when running, grey/static when idle)
- Or a color accent on the tab itself
This is common in terminal emulators (Warp, iTerm2 plugins) and would save a lot of tab-switching.
Alternative Solutions
- Activity Bar spark icon already has blue dot (permission pending) and orange dot (finished while hidden), but neither covers the "currently running" state
- Terminal-based workarounds (claude-code-tab-title, Claudelike-Bar) don't work with the native VSCode extension panel
- Hooks can run shell commands but can't communicate back to the webview UI
Priority
Medium - Would be very helpful
Feature Category
Configuration and settings
Use Case Example
- I have Claude Code sessions open for backend API work and frontend UI work simultaneously
- I ask the backend session to refactor a module — it starts running
- I switch to the frontend tab to work on something else while waiting
- Without looking at each tab, I have no idea the backend session has finished and is waiting for my next input
- With a running/idle indicator, I'd see the dot change from pulsing green to static grey and know immediately
- This saves me from constantly cycling through tabs to check "are you done yet?"
Additional Context
This is purely a UI enhancement within Anthropic's own webview panel — no VSCode API limitations involved.
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