Only works if WSL is the default terminal

[ThoughtPhotography]

This looks great, but unfortunately it only works if WSL is set as the default terminal (since Claude Code only works with WSL on Win)

Windows user's won't want WSL as the default for obvious reasons so it would be great to include a setting to choose which terminal is used (or always use WSL on Win)

[trmquang93]

Thank you for your feedback and for raising this important point!

Currently, I don't have access to a Windows machine, so I'm unable to develop or test Windows-specific features myself. I'd love to make the project more Windows-friendly, and I welcome contributions or suggestions from anyone who is able to test on Windows.

If you or anyone else is interested in helping implement or test support for configurable terminals or improved WSL handling on Windows, PRs are very welcome! Alternatively, if you can share additional details about your setup or any specific requirements, that would also help guide future improvements.

Thanks again for highlighting this, and for your understanding!

[ThoughtPhotography]

Thanks for the reply. :)

This is the command shown in my WSL terminals in Cursor:
Command line: C:\WlNDOWS\System32\wsl.exe '-d' 'Ubuntu'

One possibility is supporting a custom keybinding rather than 'claude'
This could allow saving a keybinding the launches the WSL terminal profile and runs the 'claude' command.

keybindings.json

{
    "key": "ctrl+alt+c",
    "command": "runCommands",
    "args": {
        "commands": [
            {
                "command": "workbench.action.terminal.newWithProfile",
                "args": {
                    "profileName": "Ubuntu (WSL)"
                }
            },
            {
                "command": "workbench.action.terminal.sendSequence",
                "args": {
                    "text": "claude\n"
                }
            }
        ]
    }
}

Or just adding a setting to use a terminal profile.

I'm sure there's more to it, but I figured I'd share an idea for anyone who wants to make an attempt (I'm in the middle of moving so won't have time for a while.)

[trmquang93]

Do you mean something like this? #32
If not, could you please tell me how you imagine the requested feature would work with your workflow. It would help me to understand more about how to make it

[ThoughtPhotography]

Do you mean something like this? #32 If not, could you please tell me how you imagine the requested feature would work with your workflow. It would help me to understand more about how to make it

Not quite as is, but if it could be totally configurable it should work.

e.g. if I could set it to:
wsl.exe -d Ubuntu bash -c "/home/user/.nvm/versions/node/v22.16.0/bin/node /home/user/.nvm/versions/node/v22.16.0/bin/claude"

This starts WSL/Claude from PowerShell (my default terminal)

[trmquang93]

Thank you for your clarification, Could you please tell me,
In this case, this PowerShell will run inside the vscode or it will open a separate window?
If it runs inside the vscode, I think we have the way in vscode to config the default terminal for it to use
If it will open a separate terminal window then the extension won't work. Because the vscode's extension can only communicate with the vscode internally

[ThoughtPhotography]

All my terminals run in Cursor (VSCode).

The example I gave above was done by opening a new terminal in Cursor (same as the extension would do) which is why I suspect it would work.

Instead of the extension opening powershell and the 'claude' command failing, it opens powershell and runs the wsl.exe... command which has the same result as if as having WSL as default or starting a terminal with the WSL profile and running 'claude'

The exact command took some trial and error based on how my WSL is configured.
Others might be able to get away with simpler commands like:

wsl.exe -d Ubuntu claude
or
wsl.exe -d Ubuntu bash -c "claude"

[trmquang93]

Hi @ThoughtPhotography,

I've implemented a solution for this in the feature/windows-wsl-terminal-support branch based on your feedback and the command examples you provided. Since
I don't have access to a Windows machine, I wasn't able to test this implementation myself.

The implementation now supports configurable terminal commands that should work with your WSL setup, including commands like:

• wsl.exe -d Ubuntu bash -c "/path/to/claude"
• wsl.exe -d Ubuntu claude
• wsl.exe -d Ubuntu bash -c "claude"

How to test

1. Clone and switch to the branch:
   git clone https://github.com/codeflow-studio/claude-code-chat.git
   cd claude-code-chat
   git checkout feature/windows-wsl-terminal-support
2. Install dependencies and compile:
   npm install
   npm run compile
3. Open in VSCode and run the extension:
   - Open the project folder in VSCode
   - Press F5 (or go to Run and Debug > Run Extension)
   - This will open a new VSCode window with the extension loaded
4. Test the functionality:
   - In the new VSCode window, open the Claude Code extension from the sidebar
   - Try launching Claude - it should now work with your WSL setup even with PowerShell as your default terminal
5. Expected behavior:
   - The extension should detect your Windows environment
   - It should use the appropriate WSL command to launch Claude
   - Claude should start successfully in a VSCode terminal

Since I developed this without Windows testing, there might be edge cases I missed. If you encounter any issues or if the implementation needs adjustments
for your specific WSL configuration, please let me know the details and I'll be happy to iterate on the solution.

Your testing and feedback would be incredibly valuable to ensure this works properly for Windows users!

[ThoughtPhotography]

Amazing, thanks!
I'll be able to test later today and will report back.

[ThoughtPhotography]

I cloned the repo, but the branch you mentioned doesn't seem to exist.
Maybe it's not uploaded to GH yet?

[trmquang93]

my bad. Please check again now. I just pushed it. Thanks

[ThoughtPhotography]

Automatic WSL support and/or Custom Terminal Profile didn't work (they may on other systems). My default terminal was used (claude command not found)

Custom Claude Command works though! 🥳
I tried a few slash commands and they used the existing terminal. Sending a message focuses the terminal but the message isn't sent.

Still significant progress.