Feature Request: Allow placing Secondary Side Bar between Primary Side Bar and Editor Area

[bigben446]

Feature Request: Allow placing Secondary Side Bar between Primary Side Bar and Editor Area

Summary

I would like to request more flexible layout control in VS Code, specifically the ability to reposition the Secondary Side Bar (e.g., AI assistants like Claude, Copilot Chat, Gemini) to the center area, between the Primary Side Bar and the Editor Area.

Current Limitation

Currently, VS Code layout is fixed as:

Primary Side Bar | Editor Area | Secondary Side Bar

• The Editor Area is always centered and cannot be moved.
• The Secondary Side Bar can only be placed on the left or right.
• It is not possible to place the Secondary Side Bar between the Primary Side Bar and the Editor.

Proposed Feature

Allow users to rearrange layout zones more freely, for example:

Primary Side Bar | Secondary Side Bar | Editor Area

This would effectively make the Secondary Side Bar the "central workspace" if desired.

Use Case (AI-first workflow)

With the rise of AI-assisted development, many users (including myself) are shifting from a code-first workflow to an AI-first workflow, where:

• The AI chat panel becomes the primary interaction surface
• The code editor becomes secondary (for verification, execution, and refinement)

In this workflow, placing AI tools in the center significantly improves usability and focus.

Why this matters

• Improves ergonomics for AI-heavy workflows
• Reduces context switching between side panels and editor
• Aligns VS Code with emerging AI-native IDE patterns (e.g., Cursor, Windsurf)
• Makes VS Code more adaptable to different working styles

Workarounds (not ideal)

Currently, the only workaround is:

• Moving the AI panel into the Editor Area as a tab
• Splitting the editor

However, this approach:

• Breaks the conceptual separation between tools and editors
• Is less stable and harder to manage
• Does not feel like a true layout solution

Suggested Implementation Ideas

• Allow drag-and-drop reordering of layout regions
• Introduce a “center panel” option for Secondary Side Bar
• Provide layout presets (e.g., "AI-centered", "editor-centered")

Closing

This feature would greatly enhance VS Code for modern AI-assisted workflows and make it more flexible for advanced users.

Thank you for considering!

[vs-code-engineering]

This feature request is now a candidate for our backlog. The community has 60 days to upvote the issue. If it receives 20 upvotes we will move it to our backlog. If not, we will close it. To learn more about how we handle feature requests, please see our documentation.

Happy Coding!

[bigben446]

I hope to move the conversation bars of Copilot, ClaudeCode, and Codex to the center, replacing the editor with the AI panel as the core of VSCode.

希望能够将copilot、Claudecode和codex的对话栏能够移到中间来，将AI panel替代编辑器作为vscode的最中心。