Big Idea

The argument in one line.

The Claude desktop app and VS Code run identical models, so every advantage VS Code provides comes entirely from the harness: file visibility, uptime resilience, concurrent agents, and Notion-style document editing are client features, not model features.

Who This Is For

Read if. Skip if.

READ IF YOU ARE…

You use Claude Code daily through the Claude desktop app and have noticed it feeling sluggish or crashy.
You do knowledge work alongside Claude and want to see your files while the agent works on them.
You want to run multiple Claude Code sessions at once and monitor what each one is doing.
You have never customized VS Code but are comfortable downloading free software and clicking install on extensions.

SKIP IF…

You are looking for a model comparison or guidance on which Claude tier to use for which task.
You need advanced Claude Code configuration (CLAUDE.md, memory, MCP servers) -- this stays at surface-level setup.

TL;DR

The full version, fast.

VS Code turns Claude Code from a chat window into a full workspace: live file tree, Notion-style markdown rendering, and the ability to run multiple AI agents concurrently in the same IDE. The presenter identifies three ways to run Claude Code -- desktop app, terminal CLI, VS Code -- and argues VS Code wins on every axis. Five extensions recreate the setup: the official Claude Code extension, Min theme, Symbols file icons, Pixel Agents for session monitoring, and Slash MD plus Office Viewer for document editing. A one-click profile installer at aiwithremy.com/vscode-setup bundles all extensions and the presenter's Claude Code settings.

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Chapters

Where the time goes.

00:00 – 00:20

01 · Intro

Promise: sharing the complete Claude Code VS Code setup.

00:20 – 00:56

02 · Why the desktop app falls short

Slower responses, more crashes, no file visibility.

00:56 – 02:07

03 · Three ways to run Claude Code

Desktop app vs terminal CLI vs VS Code -- framing the decision.

02:07 – 04:12

04 · VS Code setup tour

Claude panel right, file tree left, session history, context window, concurrent sessions.

04:12 – 05:19

05 · Notion-style markdown editing

Slash commands, formatted preview, replaces Obsidian for local notes.

05:19 – 05:51

06 · Running Codex alongside Claude

Both agents open in the same IDE against the same folder.

05:51 – 06:29

07 · Images, docs, non-coding work

Open images, PDFs, PowerPoints alongside the agent panel.

06:29 – 07:23

08 · Vanilla VS Code out of the box

Contrast: no icons, raw markdown, Microsoft Copilot instead of Claude.

07:23 – 08:55

09 · The exact extensions

Claude Code, Min theme, Symbols, Pixel Agents, Office Viewer, Slash MD.

08:55 – 10:11

10 · One-click install

Profile link installs every extension plus Claude Code settings in one click.

Atomic Insights

Lines worth screenshotting.

The Claude desktop app and VS Code run identical models -- any speed or reliability difference is entirely in the client layer, not the AI.
VS Code keeps working when Claude servers degrade for desktop users, because the CLI path stays available.
Running Claude Code without seeing your file tree means the agent can edit files you cannot monitor in real time.
VS Code renders any .md file as a Notion-style document; slash commands for headings and dividers work identically.
You can run Claude Code and Codex in the same VS Code window against the same folder with no configuration conflict.
Pixel Agents renders each Claude Code session as a pixel character in an office view -- useful for monitoring parallel agents at a glance.
A VS Code profile bundles every extension, theme, and setting into a single shareable link that installs in one click on any machine.
99% of knowledge workers using Claude Code are writing, researching, or managing projects, not writing code -- VS Code handles all of it.
Obsidian is architecturally a UI layer over local markdown files; VS Code with Slash MD does the same and adds live agent access.
The /context window inspector is available in VS Code but absent from the Claude desktop app.

Takeaway

VS Code makes Claude Code a workspace, not just a chat window.

WHAT TO LEARN

The harness you use matters as much as the model -- switching from the desktop app to VS Code gives you file visibility, faster responses, and the ability to run multiple agents at once.

The desktop app and VS Code run identical models; any speed or reliability difference is entirely in the client layer, not the AI.
Keeping your project files open in the same window as the agent removes a blind spot -- you can see what is being edited in real time and catch mistakes before they compound.
VS Code renders markdown files as formatted documents with slash-command editing, so your notes, drafts, and SOPs stay readable while Claude works alongside them.
Running two AI agents in the same IDE against the same folder requires no special configuration -- open both panels, assign tasks, let them run.
A VS Code profile is a portable bundle of extensions, themes, and settings that transfers to any machine via a single link -- set it up once, install anywhere in seconds.
Non-coding knowledge work -- writing articles, managing image assets, opening Word docs and PowerPoints -- runs cleanly inside VS Code without any additional apps.

Glossary

Terms worth knowing.

Harness: The interface or environment used to interact with an AI model. The same underlying model can perform differently depending on which harness sends and receives messages.
IDE (Integrated Developer Environment): A software application combining a code editor, file browser, terminal, and extension system in one window. VS Code, the Claude desktop app, and the Codex app are all IDEs.
CLI (Command Line Interface): A text-based interface where you type commands directly into a terminal window, as opposed to clicking buttons in a graphical app.
VS Code profile: A saved snapshot of VS Code settings, extensions, themes, and keybindings that can be exported as a link and imported on any machine in one click.
Pixel Agents: A VS Code extension that displays each running Claude Code session as an animated pixel character in an office scene, making it easy to monitor active sessions at a glance.

Resources

Things they pointed at.

04:52productaiwithremy.com/vscode-setup ↗

07:23toolClaude Code extension (Anthropic) ↗

07:55toolMin Theme ↗

08:10toolSymbols (file icons) ↗

08:23toolPixel Agents ↗

08:30toolOffice Viewer ↗

08:38toolSlash MD ↗

05:19toolCodex (OpenAI coding agent) ↗

Quotables

Lines you could clip.

00:12

“The models are only as good as the harness, which is like where you use them.”

Thesis in one sentence, no setup needed, counterintuitive to most users→ TikTok hook↗ Tweet quote

06:10

“99% of my work isn't even coding. It's called Visual Studio Code, a code editor, but I do all my knowledge work in here.”

Permission-slip moment for non-coders, surprising given the tool name→ IG reel cold open↗ Tweet quote

10:00

“Once you get out of the Claude desktop app, there is no going back.”

Clean closing line, no context needed→ newsletter pull-quote↗ Tweet quote

The Script

Word for word.

Read-along

Don't just watch it. Burn it in.

See every word as it's spoken — crank it to 2× and still catch all of it. The same dual-channel trick behind Amazon's Kindle + Audible.

analogy

00:00What's good, beautiful people? Today, I'm gonna share with you something that is very, very sacred to me. I'm gonna be running through my Claude code setup in Visual Studio Code.

00:07I'm gonna put you on some absolute game. First off, the whole reason, like, why I even have this setup and why I think it's so amazing is because I love Claude. Right?

00:14The Claude models are great. Claude code is great. It's a great harness.

00:16Because really these days, the models are only as good as the harness, which is like where you use them. And the Claude desktop app is just sucks. It's so bad.

00:23If you have, like, used Claude code in the terminal and then tried to use it in here, you will know, like, what I mean. There are a couple of things. It's it's it's significantly slower in the app.

00:33You won't know this unless you've used it elsewhere, but, like, the same request on the desktop app just seems to take a lot longer than if you did it in, like, the terminal or Visual Studio Code. I'm not sure whether this is maybe because so many people use the app or whatever. Also, too, there's been plenty of times when Cloud code has crashed and been down.

00:48And it's like you're on the Claude desktop app, you're trying to use it, and it's just like not working, like the servers are down. But if you open it up in Visual Studio Code or the terminal, it still works fine. So for for most people, right, you can either use Claude code in the app like this, or you can use it in what's called the terminal, which is like a CLI, which is command line interface.

01:05And this is kind of like where Claude code event, like, first existed. Right? You type Claude in here.

01:10This is like the back end of your computer where the hackers go in movies. And this is like, this is Claude code. Right?

01:15This is at its purest form. We can just go like, hello. And then it's it's working away here for us.

01:20So, you know, but this interface is not very nice. Like, it's kinda cool. I've I've actually grown pretty fond of it, but it's not like a nice interface to work in.

01:27We've got guys drilling next door doing construction. So I hope it's not too loud. But, I mean, like, for most people, it either seems like terminal, which most people don't wanna use it here at all, especially if you're not doing coding work, or the desktop app.

01:38But I actually run mine in in Visual Studio Code, which I'll get to in a second. The Cloud desktop app, it is, yeah, really slow. It's laggy.

01:44It crashes. It, like, it goes down when the other version is still there. And there's also a couple of other things.

01:49When you're using Claude code in here, you can't see the files you're working in. You also can't, like, open up documents. So let's say you're working on a a file for, a you're writing an article.

01:58You can't actually open up the article here and and be working on it with Claude, which is just, you know, a few little things. I've got plenty of gripes about the desktop app, and I just wanna show you a much better way of working. So I'm gonna open up Versus Code here.

02:09So Visual Studio Code, Versus Code for short, is essentially it's a open source free code editor. I think Microsoft bought it. But, you know, you just go online.

02:17You literally just search and download Versus Code. I'll put the link below, and you download it free onto your device. And then this is my setup right here.

02:23So I've got it in light mode. Don't hate me. I actually love light mode during the day, but at nighttime, you know, I can just chuck it in like a color theme.

02:30We can just go like dark, you know. I actually I I can't use light mode at night or in the morning. I have a dark mode.

02:34Don't worry. But we can change that up just so you are aware. But this is the setup.

02:38So we've got the little Claude code panel on the left. Sorry. On the right.

02:41And I can, you know, go and give it some tasks like, um, what's let me just say, like, when is my flight this afternoon? Send him off there. So it's actually like a a pretty nice Claude code interface in here.

02:53And you can see, like, we can go up here and see all our previous sessions, you know, edit, delete. We can see, like, the web sessions as well.

03:00You can also, you know, new chat. We've got the menu down here. We can open up and, like, see the entire menu.

03:05Even though some, like, nice little things, if we wanna check on the context window of our session, we can go, like, slash context, and it brings up, like, this nice little panel here. So the interface in here is is is really nice.

03:15You know, classic, we can go in here, change the effort mode or bypass emissions. We can even, like, you know, go in here, switch the model up. You've got everything you need in here, and I would say even more.

03:24Like, there's plenty of, like, commands that I can have access to here that I don't even think exist in the Lord desktop app too. That's another thing.

03:32We've got Claude cooking over here. We can just, you know, spawn multiple sessions up concurrently, have them all running And then the other thing is here.

03:39So I run pretty much all my entire operations out of my, like, operating system folder OS. Then, you know, if I wanna work on something specific, we can go down here. We've got, like, finance, newsletter, content, marketing, etcetera.

03:48But I'll just pretty much run everything overarching out of this folder. And I love being able to see my folder workspace on the left hand side. It's like, let's just say I'm working on content and, you know, I've got the agent over here working on an article.

04:00Let's just say, like, know, you're you're working here. Let's write a new article about Opus 4.8. And I can open up and see all my files here.

04:06I can open up the content folder, and then I can, you know, instead of writing this article, I can open up the article here. And it's like a Notion style doc. Right?

04:15It's the it formats the markdown beautifully. You can also open up like PDFs, Word docs, whatever. And we can have Claude, you know, working away here.

04:22We can open up the document here, and I can edit this, you know. I can start writing and go like we go up here. I can go yo yo, hello.

04:29We can even go slash, and we've got like headings, to do lists, dividers. It's literally just like using Notion. It's almost like it almost replaces Obsidian too, because Obsidian is really just a nice user interface over the top of your markdown files that live on your computer.

04:42So, I mean, technically this kind of replaces Obsidian. Mean, it almost does. So that's that's pretty cool.

04:47If you've enjoyed this video and gotten value so far, you're gonna love my weekly newsletter. So if you head over to aiwithremi.com, we've got the the practical AI newsletter for solopreneurs and builders.

04:56I send out one email a week every Thursday. It's value packed with all the AI news, all the workflows, all the playbooks, all the tools that you need to build, brand, and scale faster with AI. Because AI moves so fast that you don't have enough time to live on x, read every OpenAI release, or watch hours of YouTube just to keep up.

05:13And my pledge to you is that if you read the newsletter every Thursday, you can focus on growing your business and I can handle the AI updates. The other thing is we've got our OS folder over here that we're working, but we can also and we've got CluedCode on the right. You could also open up Codecs in here as well, which is really, really cool.

05:28So that's just loading. But you can see I can now kick off a Codecs project in the same folder and have them both working on stuff together within the same IDE. This, by the way, is called an IDE, integrated developer environment.

05:38And, you know, the core desktop app's an IDE, the codex app's an IDE. This is another IDE, which is my preferred IDE. So I love this, being able to work like this.

05:45You can even get Gemini, like, anti gravity in there as well if you want, which I don't use. But I love this way of working. Another thing, right, is if you're working on, like, images, we can go and open up.

05:53Let's say, for example, we are working on this was a project here where I was doing images for an e commerce brand. And I can, like, open up the images in this panel, have Claude code, like, working in here. It's just such a great way of working.

06:06And, like, 99% of my work isn't even coding. So, like, it's called Visual Studio Code. It's a code editor, but, I do all my knowledge work in here.

06:12You know, if you got PowerPoints, can open up the PowerPoints here and, like, manage them in the folders. I just think this is probably the best way of working with Cloud Code. But so this is my setup that I've kind of perfected over using this over months.

06:23But if you download Visual Studio Code and start working in it, it will look very, very different. This is what Visual Studio Code looks like vanilla out of the box. I've added all this stuff on as extensions.

06:33So if we go into oh, crap. Hang on. Let's just do a new window.

06:36Okay. So this is what it looks like out of the box. You I mean, we can open up the side panel on this side.

06:41Basically, because it's bought by Microsoft, you've got the Copilot agent in here, which is terrible. This is not Claude code. You don't, by default, have Claude code in here or codec.

06:49You know, if we open up a folder, let's say, let's open up like our OS folder in here and wait. Hang on. Let's open a different one that's being used right now.

06:57Let's do like AI with Remy. Let's open up that folder. You can see you don't have any of the nice icons.

07:03There's no Claude code. If we open up that article that I showed you before, see this in my second brain, it doesn't render like a nice markdown file. It it's it's like raw and ugly.

07:12And, you know, if we wanna get a heading or something slash, like, doesn't do anything. This is, like, not a very nice way of working, and this is how it comes out of the box by default. So what you actually need to do to get it to look like mine and function like mine, I've added in some extensions.

07:25So the first one, I believe, is the most important one is the ClaudeCode extension. So this extension here ClaudeCode. It's the official one by Anthropic.

07:3316,000,000 downloads. You can just click install, get that added in. Actually, this is like my little demo window, so I'm just gonna, you know, uninstall.

07:39But once you install it, it'll show up over here, you'll have Claude code, and you're about to start using it over on the right hand side. The next thing is the min theme. Let's just check if we can get this up.

07:49The min theme. Here we go. So min theme just makes it either a really clean dark mode or a really clean light mode.

07:54That's the one I'm using, you know, over here. This is light mode right now. You saw the dark mode before.

07:57So that's like a really, really clean theme you can add. The other one was symbols for the icons. So this is one here, symbols.

08:05And this just gives you these, like, nice icons for your files, which is another one I really, really love. Uh, another one that I like is there's this extension called I've got in here, I can open up my agents, and there's this extension called pixel agents. And then it allows you to just see all your clawed code sessions as little people in an office, and you can see, like, what they're working on, which is cool.

08:24So that's an extension that you call pixel agents that I like as well. Okay. One of the most important ones is this markdown editor and office editor as well.

08:32So if you wanna be able like, open up Word docs and PowerPoints and stuff, you're gonna need office viewer, which is this one here. And then there's another one which is slash m d. And this is, the nice markdown editor that I use.

08:42And I think that is pretty much it for the extensions. There might be a few others. But what I've done is I've actually packaged so, Natan, if you're watching this, I know you're watching this, but could you please put this section that I'm about to speak before I started going through the different extensions?

08:56So if you wanna get my exact setup that I've got here in Versus Code, I've basically packaged this up as like a one click install link for you guys. So what you'll be able to do is you'll download Versus Code. I'll leave the link down below in the description, and you can just click this link, and it will basically create this new profile in Versus Code called, like, Remy's setup or something.

09:12And then you can just click into that, and then it'll come pre equipped with all of these extensions with Codex, CloD code, this theme, uh, the icons down the side, and the markdown editor in the middle, as well as, like, the Office Viewer. Pretty much everything you need. It also come with my Claude code settings, you can get, like, the bypass permissions mode and a few other little things in here as well.

09:31But without any of these extensions, your Versus code will look very different and function very, very different. So this is like my tried, true, and tested, uh, perfect like developer environment or like coding environment, even though I'm not coding, but like space to work with these agents in.

09:46Um, and I pretty much just sit in here all day, and I can complete a full workday from with inside, like, my little AI operating system here. And this is, like, all the best, you know, AI and core code users I know and that you would see online in social media, all run pretty much the same setup as this. Um, you know, maybe not the exact same look, but all in, like, Versus Code.

10:05So it's definitely worth, uh, your time worth moving into. And once you get out of the Clawd desktop app, there is no going back.

The Hook

The bait, then the rug-pull.

Most Claude Code users are running a slower, more fragile version of the tool without knowing it. The desktop app and the IDE use the same model -- but only one of them shows you the files Claude is editing, survives server hiccups, and lets you run three agents at once while writing a Notion-style document in the same window.

Frameworks

Named ideas worth stealing.

00:56list

Three modes of running Claude Code

Desktop app (slowest, crashes, no file view)
Terminal CLI (purest, not user-friendly)
VS Code IDE (fastest, most capable, recommended)

A simple decision framework establishing VS Code as the clear winner before the setup tour begins.

Steal forAny video or post comparing AI tool interfaces

03:37concept

AI Operating System (OS folder)

A root folder called /OS containing subfolders for every domain (finance, newsletter, content, marketing) -- the single workspace Claude Code runs against all day.

Steal forPersonal knowledge management or AI workflow setup content

CTA Breakdown