[FEATURE] VS Code/Cursor: "New Conversation" should only affect the focused view; want a sidebar-only new-chat command (Cursor-like UX)

Status Open

Reported on v2.1.284

Maintainer reply None cached

Activity 0 comments · opened Sep 29, 2026

Summary

claude-vscode.newConversation ("Claude Code: New Conversation") starts a new chat in every open Claude view at once (sidebar and any Claude editor tabs), not just the view the user is in. There is also no way to bind a key to "new chat in the sidebar only". We'd like Claude Code's chat UX to match Cursor's, where a new-chat hotkey acts on the focused chat panel only.

Environment

Claude Code VS Code extension 2.1.284 (also seen on 2.1.283)
Editor: Cursor, macOS (arm64). Believed to affect VS Code too, since it's the same extension code.
claudeCode.preferredLocation: panel

Steps to reproduce

Open Claude Code in the sidebar.
Also open Claude in an editor tab (Claude Code: Open in New Tab).
Bind a key to claude-vscode.newConversation with when: claude-vscode.sideBarActive && !editorFocus && !panelFocus.
Focus the sidebar and press the key.

Actual behavior

A new conversation starts in the sidebar and in the editor tab. The when clause only controls where the key can be pressed, not which views react.
In the bundled extension.js, the command calls notifyCreateNewConversation(), which loops over all comms (for (let $ of this.allComms) $.notifyCreateNewConversation()) and sends create_new_conversation to each webview.

Expected behavior

Claude Code: New Conversation should act only on the focused (or last-active) view. Alternatively, provide separate commands such as claude-vscode.sidebar.newConversation and claude-vscode.editor.newConversation, so keys can be bound per location.

Why this matters

Running agents in parallel (a long-running chat in an editor tab plus a scratch chat in the sidebar) is common. Starting a new chat from one view currently resets the other and can discard an in-progress conversation. In Cursor, new-chat hotkeys act on the focused chat panel, and we'd like Claude Code to behave the same way.

#95906 (more than one Claude chat in the sidebar)

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