›_ Claude Code Issues
Claude Code Issues / #92450

[BUG] Claude Code activity bar icon not rendered in Remote-SSH window (extension activates fine, commands work)

Status Open
Reported on v2.1.263
Maintainer reply None cached
Workaround ✓ Mentioned in description ↑
Activity 0 comments · opened Sep 6, 2026

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?

Environment:

Claude Code for VS Code extension version: 2.1.263
Connection type: Remote-SSH (VPS, Ubuntu, root@ubuntu)
Remote VS Code Server Node.js version: v24.18.1
VS Code version: 1.1136.1
OS (local client): Windows
Description:
When connected to a remote host via the Remote-SSH extension, the Claude Code icon does not appear in the Activity Bar, even though the extension is installed, enabled, and fully functional via the Command Palette.

Steps to reproduce:

Connect to a remote host via VS Code Remote-SSH.
Ensure Claude Code for VS Code is installed on the remote host (shown as "SSH: <host> - Installed" and "enabled" in the Extensions view).
Open a folder on the remote host.
Observe the Activity Bar — the Claude Code icon is missing.
Expected behavior:
The Claude Code icon should appear in the Activity Bar, same as in a local (non-remote) window.

Actual behavior:

Icon is absent from the Activity Bar.
Right-clicking the Activity Bar shows "Claude Code" listed and checked (enabled) in the toggle menu — VS Code believes it should be visible.
Unchecking and re-checking "Claude Code" in that menu temporarily makes a blank/gray placeholder icon appear (not the actual logo), and clicking it does open the Claude Code panel correctly.
Running Developer: Reload Window reverts this — the icon disappears again completely (not even the gray placeholder).
All Claude Code commands work correctly via the Command Palette (Claude Code: Open in Side Bar, Focus input, etc.) — so activation itself succeeds; this is purely a UI rendering issue.
Extension Host (Remote) log shows activation starting with no error:

ExtensionService#_doActivateExtension Anthropic.claude-code, startup: false, activationEvent: 'onStartupFinished'
No further success or error line follows for Claude Code specifically.
Note: in the same log, GitHub Copilot Chat throws PendingMigrationError: navigator is now a global in nodejs during its own activation on this remote (Node v24.18.1) — possibly unrelated, but noting it in case it points to a broader Node-version compatibility issue on newer Node runtimes.
Workaround:
Use Command Palette → Claude Code: Open in Side Bar (or bind it to a keyboard shortcut) instead of relying on the Activity Bar icon.

What Should Happen?

Environment:

Claude Code for VS Code extension version: 2.1.263
Connection type: Remote-SSH (VPS, Ubuntu, root@ubuntu)
Remote VS Code Server Node.js version: v24.18.1
VS Code version: 1.1136.1
OS (local client): Windows
Description:
When connected to a remote host via the Remote-SSH extension, the Claude Code icon does not appear in the Activity Bar, even though the extension is installed, enabled, and fully functional via the Command Palette.

Steps to reproduce:

Connect to a remote host via VS Code Remote-SSH.
Ensure Claude Code for VS Code is installed on the remote host (shown as "SSH: <host> - Installed" and "enabled" in the Extensions view).
Open a folder on the remote host.
Observe the Activity Bar — the Claude Code icon is missing.
Expected behavior:
The Claude Code icon should appear in the Activity Bar, same as in a local (non-remote) window.

Actual behavior:

Icon is absent from the Activity Bar.
Right-clicking the Activity Bar shows "Claude Code" listed and checked (enabled) in the toggle menu — VS Code believes it should be visible.
Unchecking and re-checking "Claude Code" in that menu temporarily makes a blank/gray placeholder icon appear (not the actual logo), and clicking it does open the Claude Code panel correctly.
Running Developer: Reload Window reverts this — the icon disappears again completely (not even the gray placeholder).
All Claude Code commands work correctly via the Command Palette (Claude Code: Open in Side Bar, Focus input, etc.) — so activation itself succeeds; this is purely a UI rendering issue.
Extension Host (Remote) log shows activation starting with no error:

ExtensionService#_doActivateExtension Anthropic.claude-code, startup: false, activationEvent: 'onStartupFinished'
No further success or error line follows for Claude Code specifically.
Note: in the same log, GitHub Copilot Chat throws PendingMigrationError: navigator is now a global in nodejs during its own activation on this remote (Node v24.18.1) — possibly unrelated, but noting it in case it points to a broader Node-version compatibility issue on newer Node runtimes.
Workaround:
Use Command Palette → Claude Code: Open in Side Bar (or bind it to a keyboard shortcut) instead of relying on the Activity Bar icon.

Error Messages/Logs

Environment:

Claude Code for VS Code extension version: 2.1.263
Connection type: Remote-SSH (VPS, Ubuntu, root@ubuntu)
Remote VS Code Server Node.js version: v24.18.1
VS Code version: 1.1136.1
OS (local client): Windows
Description:
When connected to a remote host via the Remote-SSH extension, the Claude Code icon does not appear in the Activity Bar, even though the extension is installed, enabled, and fully functional via the Command Palette.

Steps to reproduce:

Connect to a remote host via VS Code Remote-SSH.
Ensure Claude Code for VS Code is installed on the remote host (shown as "SSH: <host> - Installed" and "enabled" in the Extensions view).
Open a folder on the remote host.
Observe the Activity Bar — the Claude Code icon is missing.
Expected behavior:
The Claude Code icon should appear in the Activity Bar, same as in a local (non-remote) window.

Actual behavior:

Icon is absent from the Activity Bar.
Right-clicking the Activity Bar shows "Claude Code" listed and checked (enabled) in the toggle menu — VS Code believes it should be visible.
Unchecking and re-checking "Claude Code" in that menu temporarily makes a blank/gray placeholder icon appear (not the actual logo), and clicking it does open the Claude Code panel correctly.
Running Developer: Reload Window reverts this — the icon disappears again completely (not even the gray placeholder).
All Claude Code commands work correctly via the Command Palette (Claude Code: Open in Side Bar, Focus input, etc.) — so activation itself succeeds; this is purely a UI rendering issue.
Extension Host (Remote) log shows activation starting with no error:

ExtensionService#_doActivateExtension Anthropic.claude-code, startup: false, activationEvent: 'onStartupFinished'
No further success or error line follows for Claude Code specifically.
Note: in the same log, GitHub Copilot Chat throws PendingMigrationError: navigator is now a global in nodejs during its own activation on this remote (Node v24.18.1) — possibly unrelated, but noting it in case it points to a broader Node-version compatibility issue on newer Node runtimes.
Workaround:
Use Command Palette → Claude Code: Open in Side Bar (or bind it to a keyboard shortcut) instead of relying on the Activity Bar icon.

Steps to Reproduce

Environment:

Claude Code for VS Code extension version: 2.1.263
Connection type: Remote-SSH (VPS, Ubuntu, root@ubuntu)
Remote VS Code Server Node.js version: v24.18.1
VS Code version: 1.1136.1
OS (local client): Windows
Description:
When connected to a remote host via the Remote-SSH extension, the Claude Code icon does not appear in the Activity Bar, even though the extension is installed, enabled, and fully functional via the Command Palette.

Steps to reproduce:

Connect to a remote host via VS Code Remote-SSH.
Ensure Claude Code for VS Code is installed on the remote host (shown as "SSH: <host> - Installed" and "enabled" in the Extensions view).
Open a folder on the remote host.
Observe the Activity Bar — the Claude Code icon is missing.
Expected behavior:
The Claude Code icon should appear in the Activity Bar, same as in a local (non-remote) window.

Actual behavior:

Icon is absent from the Activity Bar.
Right-clicking the Activity Bar shows "Claude Code" listed and checked (enabled) in the toggle menu — VS Code believes it should be visible.
Unchecking and re-checking "Claude Code" in that menu temporarily makes a blank/gray placeholder icon appear (not the actual logo), and clicking it does open the Claude Code panel correctly.
Running Developer: Reload Window reverts this — the icon disappears again completely (not even the gray placeholder).
All Claude Code commands work correctly via the Command Palette (Claude Code: Open in Side Bar, Focus input, etc.) — so activation itself succeeds; this is purely a UI rendering issue.
Extension Host (Remote) log shows activation starting with no error:

ExtensionService#_doActivateExtension Anthropic.claude-code, startup: false, activationEvent: 'onStartupFinished'
No further success or error line follows for Claude Code specifically.
Note: in the same log, GitHub Copilot Chat throws PendingMigrationError: navigator is now a global in nodejs during its own activation on this remote (Node v24.18.1) — possibly unrelated, but noting it in case it points to a broader Node-version compatibility issue on newer Node runtimes.
Workaround:
Use Command Palette → Claude Code: Open in Side Bar (or bind it to a keyboard shortcut) instead of relying on the Activity Bar icon.

Claude Model

None

Is this a regression?

Yes, this worked in a previous version

Last Working Version

_No response_

Claude Code Version

1.136.1

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

macOS

Terminal/Shell

Terminal.app (macOS)

Additional Information

_No response_

View original on GitHub ↗

Related Claude Code issues

Matched on shared title terms, labels, topic and reported release — ranked so issues with real discussion come first.

Browse by topic

Same class of failure, ranked by community engagement — this issue is one of many, so it may not appear in the visible list: IDE & terminal integration, Windows & WSL problems

Browse all Claude Code issue topics →