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Claude Code

The Claude Code Plugin

Since CodeLite 18.5.0

The Claude Code plugin runs Claude Code inside a dedicated CodeLite tab, so you can work with it right next to your editor instead of switching to an external terminal. The tab is a regular CodeLite terminal, wired up so file paths, symbols and URLs that Claude Code prints can be opened directly inside the IDE.

Requirements

The plugin does not bundle Claude Code — it launches the claude CLI, which must be installed separately. See claude.com/product/claude-code for installation instructions.

A workspace must be open before you can launch Claude Code; the plugin uses the workspace root as Claude Code's working directory.

Launching Claude Code

There are two ways to start a session:

  • Click the Claude Code button on the left side bar.
  • From the menu bar: Plugins → Claude Code → Launch Claude Code (Ctrl+Shift+I).

If a Claude Code tab is already open, either action simply switches to it instead of starting a second session.

Each time you launch Claude Code, the plugin tries to resume the most recent conversation for the workspace (equivalent to running claude --continue); if there is no previous conversation to resume, it falls back to a fresh session automatically.

When the underlying claude process exits, its tab closes on its own.

Locating the claude Executable

By default, the plugin looks up claude on your PATH. If it isn't on the PATH, or you want to point CodeLite at a specific build, set an explicit path:

  • Plugins → Claude Code → Options...
  • Enter the full path to the claude executable and click OK.

Leave the field empty to go back to resolving claude from the PATH.

Note

On a remote workspace (opened via the Remoty plugin over SSH/SFTP), the plugin always runs claude from the remote host's PATH — the configured local executable path is not used in that case.

Clickable Terminal Output

Inside the Claude Code tab, Ctrl+Left-Click (Cmd+Left-Click on macOS) any word or path that Claude Code prints to open it inside CodeLite, without leaving the terminal:

  • File paths — opened in the CodeLite editor. Relative paths are resolved against the workspace.
  • Directories — opened in your system's file explorer.
  • Executables — launched with the system's default handler.
  • Plain URLs — opened in your default web browser.
  • Anything else — for example a class or symbol name — is looked up through the Open Resource dialog, so you can jump straight to its definition even when Claude Code didn't print a full file path.

Remote Workspaces

When your workspace is a remote one (via the Remoty plugin), the Claude Code tab connects over the same SSH account and runs claude on the remote host. Clicking a file path resolves it as a remote file — opened through the SFTP file cache — instead of looking for it on the local disk.

Tab Behavior

  • The tab's title tracks the title Claude Code reports for the current session.
  • The terminal's colors and font follow CodeLite's active editor theme, and update automatically if you switch themes while the session is running.

Tip: you can keep multiple long-running Claude Code sessions across different workspaces open in separate CodeLite windows — each workspace gets its own tab.