Using Claude Code CLI in VS Code's Secondary Side Bar

If you like using the Claude Code CLI in VS Code instead of the extension (it’s clunky & not as well featured), but want the Cursor or Windsurf chat look, with a full height chat on the right (or left) side, here is how:

Use the Sidebar Terminal extension to add a dedicated terminal view in VS Code’s Secondary Side Bar loaded with your Claude or Codex CLI.

Sidebar Terminal Extension: https://github.com/s-hiraoku/vscode-sidebar-terminal