Claude Code is now natively integrated into Eclipse Theia

Eclipse Theia, the extensible platform for building cloud and desktop integrated development environments (IDEs), has introduced a powerful new capability: native integration with Claude Code, Anthropic’s AI-powered coding assistant. With this release, developers using Theia-based tools such as the AI-native Theia IDE can access Claude Code directly within their environment, making intelligent code assistance faster, more contextual, and easier to use.

At a time when AI tooling is becoming increasingly important for developer productivity, the ability to bring Claude Code’s capabilities directly into the developer workflow represents a significant enhancement. Unlike browser-based assistants, CLI tools or external services, the new integration runs entirely within the IDE, offering a seamless user experience and a deep contextual awareness.

Bringing Claude Code directly into the IDE

Claude Code is designed to act as a coding partner that understands your workspace. It reads project files, documentation, and code, then responds to natural language prompts to provide helpful, context-specific support, including implementing features, identifying bugs, and reviewing code. The integration in Theia makes these capabilities natively available with no need for third-party extensions or separate terminal sessions.

For developers, this means the power of Claude Code is now just a keyboard shortcut away, with no context switching required. You can ask questions like “What does this class do?”, “Refactor this function to reduce complexity,” or “Generate a test for this module,” and get precise results based on the files in your open project.

The experience is designed to feel like a natural extension of the IDE, with Claude Code responses appearing alongside your editor content or in dedicated panels within the workspace. To see this functionality in action, watch our demo.

Developer-first AI assistance

The Theia team has focused on ensuring the Claude Code experience fits the needs of professional developers, particularly those working on large, complex codebases. While many AI assistants function as generic question-and-answer bots, Claude Code is deeply aware of its coding context.

This integration provides:

• Native chat sessions: Start and switch between conversations without the clunkiness of embedded browser views.
• Effortless code editing: Review all AI-generated changes using Theia’s native diff editor for full transparency and control.
• Command shortcuts: Use slash commands like /clear or /resume, with smart autocomplete in your workspace.
• Inline and contextual support: Launch inline AI sessions directly from selected code for explanations, fixes, or suggestions.
• Terminal command generation: Press Ctrl+I in the terminal to describe your goal and get AI-generated shell commands instantly.
• Multi-agent extensibility: Claude Code is part of a broader AI framework. Developers can integrate multiple agents, define custom workflows, and adapt AI behaviour to specific domains or projects.
   

Designed for extensibility and collaboration

Eclipse Theia does not only provide a standalone IDE but a framework for building IDEs. It allows organisations to assemble fully custom development environments that fit their specific technology stacks, team requirements, and user needs. At the same time, Theia-based IDEs benefit from a common architecture and ecosystem, enabling the reuse of extensions and components.

This extensibility is part of what made the Claude Code integration so seamless. Because Theia already supports plug-in systems and language servers, integrating a context-aware AI assistant could be done in a way that respects the architecture and doesn't impose unnecessary dependencies. Theia users can still tailor their environments, even as they adopt new features like Claude Code.

What else is happening in the Theia community

In addition to the Claude Code integration, Eclipse Theia recently earned two major recognitions. First, Theia AI was named the winner of the 2025 CODiE Award for Best Open Source Development Tool. 

Second, Theia AI has been selected as a finalist for the 2025 DevOps Dozen award in the category of Most Innovative DevOps Open Source Project. This nomination highlights the growing role of Theia AI in modern DevOps workflows, where intelligent tooling is becoming essential for developer productivity and automation. Please take a moment to vote for Theia AI in this final round.

These accolades are a testament to Theia’s strong community-driven development model and its ability to serve as a flexible foundation for both cloud-based and desktop IDEs. They also underscore the value of open source governance and collaboration across organisations, factors that are central to the project’s continued success.

What’s next for Theia and Claude Code

The Claude Code integration is just the beginning. Future updates may include an even deeper integration via MCP, enabling Claude Code to interact with virtually all of Theia’s IDE capabilities, including interacting with debug sessions, reading and resolving review comments, and integration with even more AI agents and developer services..

For now, Theia users and contributors can start using Claude Code immediately by downloading the Theia IDE.

To learn more, visit the official Theia website, watch our recent TheiaCon session, or read our original release post on the EclipseSource blog.

If you’re interested in contributing or adopting Theia, check out the GitHub repository, join the community, and be part of the next generation of developer tooling.