[BUG] VS Code extension stuck on "Reloading..." after `claude --resume`

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?

VS Code extension gets stuck on "Reloading..." after claude --resume

Summary

After using claude --resume <session-id> (also triggered from my own browser tool that launches the same command), the Claude Code VS Code extension became permanently stuck.

The Claude Code sidebar only displays "Reloading..." forever and never loads the chat UI.

The problem persists across VS Code restarts.

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Environment

• Windows 11
• VS Code (latest stable)
• Claude Code v2.1.116

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How it started

I built a small browser tool that exports my Claude chat history.

From the browser, clicking "Open in VS Code" copies and executes a command like:

claude --resume 5aea377d-91ad-43f7-9958-ff9357f23386

After using this workflow, the Claude Code extension entered a broken state.

Now every time I open the Claude Code view in VS Code, it only displays:

Reloading...

and never finishes loading.

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Symptoms

• Claude Code extension is installed and enabled.
• The Claude Code sidebar opens.
• The sidebar remains on "Reloading..." indefinitely.
• The chat UI never appears.
• Restarting VS Code does not resolve the issue.

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What I have already tried

Restarting

• Restarted VS Code
• Restarted Windows

No change.

Extension cleanup

• Disabled and re-enabled the Claude Code extension
• Uninstalled and reinstalled the extension

No change.

VS Code cache cleanup

Deleted:

%APPDATA%\Code\User\workspaceStorage
%APPDATA%\Code\Backups

No change.

Extension isolation

Running

code --disable-extensions

starts VS Code normally.

This suggests VS Code itself is healthy.

---

Developer Console

The Developer Console repeatedly reports:

Extension host is unresponsive.

Later it becomes responsive again, then unresponsive again.

Claude Code also logs:

Created lock file at
C:\Users\user\.claude\ide\xxxxx.lock

Set CLAUDE_CODE_SSE_PORT=xxxxx

try: 8082
ok: 8082

This suggests the Claude CLI starts successfully and communication begins, but the WebView never finishes loading.

---

Additional observations

The problem consistently starts after using:

claude --resume <session-id>

or the equivalent browser workflow.

Even after clearing normal VS Code caches and reinstalling the extension, the issue persists.

---

Expected behavior

Claude Code should either:

• successfully resume the chat session, or
• fail gracefully and return to a normal empty chat.

It should not become permanently stuck on "Reloading...".

---

Question

Does Claude Code store any internal state related to:

• resume history
• last opened session
• WebView state
• session cache

outside of the standard VS Code cache directories?

If so, where are those files located, and is there a supported way to clear them?

I would also appreciate any debugging steps that could help identify why the WebView remains stuck on "Reloading...".

Running claude --resume directly in Command Prompt does not reproduce the issue. The issue occurs when the resume workflow is launched through the VS Code extension/browser integration.

What Should Happen?

Claude Code should resume the chat normally or fail gracefully.

The chat UI should load instead of remaining on "Reloading...".

Error Messages/Logs

Extension host is unresponsive.

Created lock file at C:\Users\user\.claude\ide\xxxxx.lock

Set CLAUDE_CODE_SSE_PORT=xxxxx

try: 8082
ok: 8082

Steps to Reproduce

1. Open an existing Claude chat.
2. Run claude --resume <session-id> (or launch the same command from a browser workflow).
3. Open the Claude Code view in VS Code.
4. The view remains on "Reloading..." forever.
5. Restarting VS Code does not resolve the problem.

Claude Model

Opus

Is this a regression?

Yes, this worked in a previous version

Last Working Version

_No response_

Claude Code Version

2.1.116 (Claude Code)

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

Windows

Terminal/Shell

PowerShell

Additional Information

The issue only started after using claude --resume.

I also tried:

• deleting %APPDATA%\Code\User\workspaceStorage
• deleting %APPDATA%\Code\Backups
• reinstalling the Claude Code extension

Running code --disable-extensions starts VS Code normally.

The problem appears to be related to the Claude Code extension or resume state rather than VS Code itself.