Add deep linking support to open specific chats (e.g., vscode://anthropic.claude-code/chat/{chatId})

[AlexZan]

Problem

Currently, there's no way to programmatically open a specific Claude Code chat conversation in VS Code. This makes it difficult to:

• Build third-party tools/extensions that integrate with Claude Code chats
• Create workflows that jump to specific conversations programmatically
• Bookmark and return to important conversations quickly
• Reference chat sessions in local documentation or task trackers

Note: This feature request focuses on local chat navigation (chats stored in ~/.claude/projects/). For sharing chats with team members via git, see the related feature request #10368.

Proposed Solution

Add deep linking support using VS Code's URI protocol that would:

1. Open VS Code if not already running
2. Activate the Claude Code extension
3. Navigate to and display the specified chat conversation in the Claude Code panel

Proposed URI format:

vscode://anthropic.claude-code/chat/{sessionId}

Example:

vscode://anthropic.claude-code/chat/abc123-def456-789

Clicking this link would open that specific chat in the official Claude Code chat panel.

Alternatives Considered

• Manual navigation through chat history - Tedious for frequently referenced conversations, especially with many chats
• Copying chat transcripts - Loses interactive context and Claude Code's native formatting
• Third-party viewer extensions - Can read chat JSONL files but cannot open chats in the official Claude Code UI, limiting their usefulness
• Searching by chat title - Requires manual steps and assumes unique/memorable titles

Implementation Details

Technical approach:

• Leverage VS Code's vscode.window.registerUriHandler() API (already used by many extensions)
• Session IDs are already stored in the JSONL filenames: ~/.claude/projects/[project]/[session-uuid].jsonl
• No changes needed to storage format

Complementary features that would enhance this:

• "Copy link to chat" button in the chat interface
• Chat permalink generation in the chat history view
• VS Code command claude-code.openChat(sessionId) for programmatic access
• Documentation of the URI scheme for third-party integrations

Use cases:

• Personal workflow: Bookmarking important debugging sessions or architectural discussions
• Tool integration: Building custom dashboards or chat browsers that can jump to official UI
• Local documentation: Referencing specific chats in personal notes or local task trackers
• Agent integration: Local agents/scripts opening specific chats based on context

Related Features

• Chat Package Export/Import: Git-compatible format for team collaboration #10368 - Chat Package Export/Import for team collaboration
• Chat Branching: Spawn side-chain conversations with selective merging back to main #10370 - Chat Branching for side-chain conversations

[github-actions]

Found 1 possible duplicate issue:

1. Feature request: ability to share a link to session #4305

This issue will be automatically closed as a duplicate in 3 days.

• If your issue is a duplicate, please close it and 👍 the existing issue instead
• To prevent auto-closure, add a comment or 👎 this comment

🤖 Generated with Claude Code

[AlexZan]

This is related to #4305 but solves a different problem:

• Feature request: ability to share a link to session #4305: Web-based sharing links for external collaboration
• This issue: vscode:// protocol for local navigation and tool integration

Use cases: bookmarking chats locally, third-party extensions opening chats, agent workflows.

Happy to close if maintainers prefer one consolidated issue.

[github-actions]

This issue has been inactive for 30 days. If the issue is still occurring, please comment to let us know. Otherwise, this issue will be automatically closed in 30 days for housekeeping purposes.

[oliviersm199]

Hey this would still be a useful feature for developers looking to integrate with Claude Code and deep link issues directly into Claude Code via the visual studio extension.

[github-actions]

This issue has been automatically closed due to 60 days of inactivity. If you're still experiencing this issue, please open a new issue with updated information.

[marcindulak]

This issue was closed incorrectly despite recent human comments. This behavior of the bot is reported at #16497. Please upvote that issue, so maybe it gets noticed.