[BUG] Claude Code Sidebar Icon Not Visible by Default

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?

The Claude Code VS Code extension (v2.0.0) includes a sidebar view and Activity Bar icon, but they are hidden by default due to a conditional visibility flag (claude-code:sidebarVisible). Users must manually run the "Claude Code: Open in Side Bar" command to make the icon appear, and this preference is not persisted across VS Code restarts.

What Should Happen?

When the Claude Code extension is installed, the sidebar icon should be visible in the Activity Bar by default, allowing users to easily discover and access the feature. That's how other extensions work.

Steps to Reproduce

1. Install anthropic.claude-code version 2.0.0 in VS Code
2. Reload/restart VS Code
3. Check Activity Bar (left sidebar) for Claude Code icon
4. Icon is not visible

Claude Model

Sonnet (default)

Is this a regression?

No, this never worked

Last Working Version

_No response_

Claude Code Version

2.0

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

Ubuntu/Debian Linux

Terminal/Shell

VS Code integrated terminal

Additional Information

_No response_