Claude Default Group

A small VS Code extension that keeps newly opened Claude Code tabs in the first editor group.

The Claude Code extension opens a tab from its sidebar in a new editor column of its own. This extension moves that tab into the first editor group at the moment it is opened, so it sits with your other tabs, and lets the emptied group close. When the first group is the only group and has no tabs, VS Code opens the Claude tab there directly and Claude Code locks the group; the extension then unlocks it, so files you open afterwards join it instead of spawning a split.

Only tabs that have just been opened are moved. Tabs restored with the window stay where they were, and a Claude tab you drag to another group stays there. To gather every Claude tab into the first group on demand, run the command below.

Install

1. Download the latest .vsix from the Releases page.

2. Install it either from the command line

   code --install-extension claude-default-group-<version>.vsix
   

   or from the Extensions view: the ... menu, then Install from VSIX...

3. Reload the window.

It runs on the local side of Remote-SSH and WSL windows, so one install covers them.

Command and settings

Command: Claude Default Group: Move Claude Tabs to First Group.

Settings under claudeDefaultGroup: enabled and delayMs (how long to wait after a Claude tab opens before moving it; default and minimum 100 ms, the settle time needed to tell a newly opened tab from one dragged between groups).

Log: Output panel, channel "Claude Default Group".

Build

npx @vscode/vsce package