[VSCode Extension] Add native system/toast notifications when Claude needs attention

[mengshengwu]

Summary

The VSCode native extension currently has no way to notify the user when Claude needs attention (permission approval, task completion, waiting for input). The only indicators are:

• A colored dot on the editor tab (🔵 pending / 🟠 done)
• "✱ Claude Code" text in the status bar

Both are easy to miss when focus is on another window or monitor.

Request

Add a setting to emit VSCode/system-level notifications on key events, e.g.:

• claude-code.notifications.enabled: boolean
• claude-code.notifications.events: array of permissionRequest | taskComplete | waitingForInput | error

Ideally using vscode.window.showInformationMessage so users can rely on VSCode's built-in notification filter / Do Not Disturb.

Why not hooks?

Hooks (Notification / Stop) + external tools (BurntToast, msg, terminal-notifier) work, but:

• Require platform-specific scripting
• Not discoverable for new users
• Duplicate work every user has to redo

A first-class setting would be much more ergonomic.

Environment

• OS: Windows 11
• VSCode native extension

[mlidbom]

Please!
I constantly work on other things while Claude Code is working in the background.
Not knowing when the agent is done causes great inefficiencies. I have to check back constantly, or accept that work goes far slower than it should.

[jacobsvante]

It's rather surprising to find that this is not included today. Any known workarounds?

[cveld]

@jacobsvante OP suggested:

Hooks (Notification / Stop) + external tools (BurntToast, msg, terminal-notifier) work, but [...]

I am a Windows 11 user, and I am exploring BurntToast at this moment. Would love to see unread markers in the sessions list though. I am heavily using parallel sessions.

[tredondo]

I'm just giving Claude Code in VS Code a try after using Claude BYOK in Zed. Notifications are such an obvious feature, and their lack is so glaring; it boggled my mind that this FR was only fired SEVEN MONTHS after the VSCode extension was released.

@jacobsvante

It's ridiculous that there at least THREE extensions for Claude notifications.

Using competing tools is really an eye-opener.