claude-vscode.editor.open always opens tab in first/primary VS Code window instead of focused window

[sdultsin]

Bug

When multiple VS Code windows are open (including across macOS desktops/Spaces), running claude-vscode.editor.open via the command palette or keybinding always opens the Claude Code tab in the leftmost/primary VS Code window, not the currently focused one.

Steps to reproduce

1. Open two VS Code windows (optionally on different macOS desktops)
2. Focus the second (non-primary) window
3. Run claude-vscode.editor.open via Cmd+Shift+P or keybinding
4. The Claude Code tab opens in the first window, not the focused one

Note: The command palette itself appears in the correct (focused) window - it's only the resulting tab that opens in the wrong window.

Expected behavior

The Claude Code tab should open in the currently focused VS Code window.

Environment

• macOS 24.6.0 (Darwin)
• Claude Code extension v2.1.68
• VS Code latest
• Apple Silicon (arm64)

[jarben]

Ran into this too - clicking the Claude icon while focused in a split opens the panel in a completely different column.

Dug into the compiled extension.js and the issue is in createPanel(). When no viewColumn is passed, it falls through to findUnusedColumn():

findUnusedColumn() {
  let usedColumns = new Set();
  vscode.window.tabGroups.all.forEach((group) => {
    if (group.viewColumn !== undefined) usedColumns.add(group.viewColumn);
  });
  for (let col = ViewColumn.One; col <= ViewColumn.Nine; col++) {
    if (!usedColumns.has(col)) return col;
  }
  return ViewColumn.Beside;
}

This just finds the lowest-numbered unused column, completely ignoring which editor group is active. With two splits open it'll create a third column instead of opening beside where you're focused.

The fix would be to anchor off tabGroups.activeTabGroup.viewColumn instead:

const activeColumn = vscode.window.tabGroups.activeTabGroup?.viewColumn;
columnToUse = activeColumn !== undefined ? activeColumn + 1 : vscode.ViewColumn.Beside;

Reproducible on Cursor 2.1.81, macOS.

---

Fix prompt for engineers

In the VS Code extension, fix createPanel() so that when no viewColumn argument is provided, the new Claude panel opens beside the currently active editor group instead of the lowest-numbered unused column.

Current behavior: the else branch calls findUnusedColumn() which iterates from ViewColumn.One upward and returns the first column not in use — ignoring which editor group the user is focused in.

Fix: replace the findUnusedColumn() fallback with one based on vscode.window.tabGroups.activeTabGroup.viewColumn:

// before
columnToUse = this.findUnusedColumn();
startedInNewColumn = true;

// after
const activeColumn = vscode.window.tabGroups.activeTabGroup?.viewColumn;
columnToUse = activeColumn !== undefined
  ? activeColumn + 1  // open beside the active group
  : vscode.ViewColumn.Beside;
startedInNewColumn = true;

Keep the existing logic that reuses an already-open Claude-only tab group — only the fallback needs to change.

Also worth checking: if the icon click doesn't pass a viewColumn, consider defaulting to ViewColumn.Active for users who want Claude to open in their current split rather than beside it.

[github-actions]

Closing for now — inactive for too long. Please open a new issue if this is still relevant.

[github-actions]

This issue has been automatically locked since it was closed and has not had any activity for 7 days. If you're experiencing a similar issue, please file a new issue and reference this one if it's relevant.