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Surfaces & Environments

Claude Code is not limited to the terminal. It runs in various environments -- called Surfaces -- that all share the same engine.

Terminal CLI

The original and most complete variant. Claude Code in the terminal follows the Unix philosophy: It is pipeable and scriptable.

# Pipe Input
cat error.log | claude -p "What went wrong here?"

# Process output further
claude -p "Generate a migration" > migration.sql

All features are available: MCP servers, Hooks, Subagents, Memory. If you want to get the most out of it, the terminal is your home.

VS Code Extension

The VS Code extension brings Claude Code directly into your editor:

  • Inline Diffs -- Changes are displayed directly in the editor as diffs
  • @-Mentions -- Reference files, symbols, or errors with @-syntax
  • Plan Review -- Review Claude Code's plan before it starts

The extension launches a Claude Code session in the background. You chat in a panel and see changes live in your files.

JetBrains Plugin

For IntelliJ, WebStorm, PyCharm, and other JetBrains IDEs:

  • Interactive Diff -- Changes as interactive diffs directly in the IDE
  • Selection Context -- Select code and send it as context to Claude

The plugin integrates seamlessly into the JetBrains workflow and uses the same Claude Code engine as the terminal.

Desktop App

The Desktop App provides a standalone graphical interface:

  • Multi-Session -- Manage multiple parallel conversations
  • Visual Diffs -- Clear presentation of all changes
  • Scheduled Tasks -- Have tasks executed on a schedule

Ideal if you are not a terminal fan but still want the full power of Claude Code.

Web (claude.ai/code)

Claude Code in the browser -- no local installation needed:

  • Cloud-isolated VMs -- Your code runs in a secure, isolated environment
  • No local setup needed -- Just log in and get started
  • Perfect for quick experiments -- Create projects, test, discard

iWhen Web Instead of Terminal?

The web variant is especially useful when you cannot or do not want to set up a local environment -- for example, on a company computer without admin rights or for quick prototyping on the go.

iOS App

Claude Code on iPhone -- yes, really:

  • Mobile Sessions -- Start or review sessions on the go
  • /teleport -- Transfer a Web session to your phone's terminal

Ideal for checking the status of a running task on your commute or giving a quick instruction.

Scheduled Tasks

Claude Code can execute tasks on a schedule -- even when your computer is off:

Cloud-based

Runs on Anthropic's infrastructure. You schedule a task (for example, "Every morning at 8am: Check if there are new issues in the repo and create a summary report") and it runs reliably.

Desktop-based

Runs locally on your machine. Useful for tasks that need access to local files or network resources.

*Practical Idea

Scheduled Tasks are perfect for recurring tasks: daily code reviews, automatic dependency updates, regular performance reports, or monitoring log files.

/teleport

With the /teleport command, you can transfer a Web session (claude.ai/code) to your local terminal:

  1. Start a session in Claude Code on the Web
  2. Type /teleport
  3. Follow the instructions to connect your local terminal
  4. Continue working locally -- with the full context

Note: /teleport transfers Web sessions to the local terminal. It is not bidirectional.

One Ecosystem, One Engine

The key takeaway: All Surfaces share the same engine. Your CLAUDE.md files, settings, and MCP server configurations apply everywhere. It does not matter whether you work in the terminal, in VS Code, or in the Desktop App -- Claude Code behaves consistently.

iSwitch Freely Between Surfaces

You can work in the terminal in the morning, in VS Code in the afternoon, and check on your phone in the evening. Your project setup and configuration remain identical.