Resumed session opens in panel instead of sidebar, ignoring preferredLocation: sidebar
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?
When resuming a previous conversation via the Session History picker, the chat opens in the panel instead of the sidebar, even though claudeCode.preferredLocation is already set to sidebar. None of the standard ways to move the view to the sidebar have any effect on the resumed session.
Attempted workarounds (none worked)
Dragging the tab toward the Primary Side Bar: no drop-zone indicator, nothing happens.
Command Palette → "Claude Code": no "Open in Side Bar" command listed.
Confirmed preferredLocation is already sidebar — no effect on resumed sessions.
Fully quitting/relaunching VS Code before resuming: (fill in the result — we suggested this but I don't have your outcome)
What Should Happen?
Expected: resumed sessions open wherever preferredLocation says.
Actual: always the panel, with no UI path to move it afterward.
Error Messages/Logs
Steps to Reproduce
Set claudeCode.preferredLocation to sidebar in VS Code settings.
Open the Claude Code Session History picker.
Select a previous conversation to resume.
Observe: the conversation opens in the panel, not the Primary/Secondary Side Bar.
Claude Model
None
Is this a regression?
I don't know
Last Working Version
_No response_
Claude Code Version
2.1.209 (Claude Code)
Platform
Anthropic API
Operating System
Windows
Terminal/Shell
VS Code integrated terminal
Additional Information
Related but distinct
#16484 (sidebar blank on startup) — closed, different trigger.
#64756 (blank panel after Remote-SSH reconnect, deserializeWebviewPanel issue) — similar mechanism suspected, but that's Remote-SSH-specific; this happens on a plain resume.
Saved to bug-report-draft.md in the scratchpad. Two gaps before you post it: confirm local vs. remote, and whether the full-restart workaround changed anything. Want me to open the GitHub issue page for you, or are you posting it yourself?