[FEATURE] VS Code: allow more than one Claude chat in the sidebar

What I'd like

The ability to have two or more Claude chats open in the sidebar at the same
time, the way I can with editor tabs today.

Why the two existing placements each solve only half of it

I keep several chats going at once on one project. There are two ways to hold
them, and neither works:

Locked editor group — gives me as many chats as I want, and locking the
group stops files from opening into it. But the group lives in the editor grid,
so opening the terminal panel shifts and shrinks it. Every terminal toggle
moves my chats.

Sidebar view — completely stable. Opening the terminal doesn't touch it,
which is exactly the property I want. But it holds only one chat, so the moment
I need a second I'm back to the editor group.

So: multiple chats OR a stable position, never both.

Why I think this is possible

VS Code's single-instance rule is per contributed view id, not per extension.
The extension could contribute additional view ids (claude.chat2, etc.), or
keep one view and tab the sessions inside it. Either way it's a product
decision rather than a platform limit.

Alternatives I tried

• workbench.action.moveEditorToNewWindow — a floating window with the locked

group does give multiple chats plus immunity from the main window's layout.
It works, but costs a whole window and takes the chats out of the workspace.

• terminal.integrated.defaultLocation: "editor" — keeps the panel closed so

nothing shifts, but terminals then compete with chats for editor-area space.

• Moving the panel to the right — trades the vertical shift for a horizontal

one. Same problem, different axis.

Related

• #60670 — panel placement next to the terminal, closed as not planned. Same

underlying motivation (a chat location that doesn't fight the editor grid),
different proposed fix.

• #86403 — option to open Claude in the active editor group.
• #94979 — clicking a sidebar session overwrites the current view instead of

switching to its tab; related session-management friction.

Environment

• VS Code 1.130.0, Linux (Wayland)
• anthropic.claude-code 2.1.278