Overview

Claude IDE is an AI-powered coding assistant designed to enhance the software development experience. It integrates directly into your terminal and IDE (VS Code, JetBrains), leveraging the power of Claude Sonnet 4.5 to help developers write better code faster, debug intelligently, and manage complex projects more efficiently.

Main Purpose and Target User Group

The main purpose of Claude IDE is to provide advanced AI coding assistance to developers, enabling them to streamline their workflow, understand codebases quickly, and perform complex edits with ease. It targets individual developers, full-stack engineers, and development teams looking to leverage AI for increased productivity and code quality.

Function Details and Operations

Intelligent Code Understanding
- Analyzes entire codebases, not just isolated snippets.
- Makes coordinated changes across multiple files.
- Offers contextually relevant suggestions that fit the project's architecture and dependencies.
- Explains complete codebases in seconds, providing high-level overviews of purpose, architecture, and key features.
- Automatically grasps project architecture and dependencies without manual context file selection.
Seamless Integration & Workflow
- Lives directly inside the terminal and IDE (VS Code, JetBrains), eliminating context switching.
- Deeply integrates with GitHub, GitLab, and command-line tools.
- Manages the complete development workflow: reading issues, writing code, executing tests, and submitting Pull Requests (PRs) – all within the terminal.
Powerful Multi-File Edits
- Performs powerful multi-file edits with a deep understanding of the codebase and its dependencies.
- Ensures accuracy and functionality of changes across the project.
AI Model
- Utilizes the Claude Sonnet 4.5 model for its AI capabilities.

User Benefits

Increased Productivity: Write code faster and debug more intelligently.
Improved Code Quality: Receive suggestions that truly fit the project, leading to better code.
Reduced Context Switching: Work directly within your existing development environment.
Faster Code Familiarization: Quickly understand new or unfamiliar codebases.
Streamlined Workflow: Manage issues, code, tests, and PRs from a single interface.

Compatibility and Integration

IDE Integration
- Works with VS Code and JetBrains IDEs.
Terminal Integration
- Functions directly within the terminal.
Version Control Integration
- Deeply integrates with GitHub and GitLab.
Installation
- Requires Node.js 18+ and can be installed via npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code.

Access and Activation Method

Installation
- Install via npm: npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code (requires Node.js 18+).
Pricing Plans
- Lite: $9.99/month, 10M tokens/month, 3 individual API keys.
- Pro (Most Popular): $39.99/month, 50M tokens/month, 10 individual API keys, 10% tokens off.
- Team: $99.99/month, 200M tokens/month, 50 individual API keys, 15% tokens off.
Payment
- Supports Alipay and WeChat Pay.
Subscription
- Instant access, secure payment, cancel anytime.
Token Pricing
- Offers significantly cheaper token rates compared to official Claude Code token pricing (e.g., 90% discount on input tokens).

How to use Claude IDE?

To use Claude IDE, you first need to install Node.js 18+ on your system. Then, you can install Claude IDE globally by running npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code. Once installed, Claude IDE integrates directly into your terminal and VS Code, allowing you to leverage its AI coding assistance.

What model does Claude IDE use?

Claude IDE utilizes the powerful AI model, Claude Sonnet 4.5, to provide its coding assistance.

What is this model suitable for?

The Claude Sonnet 4.5 model is suitable for a wide range of coding tasks, including intelligent code understanding, making coordinated changes across files, offering relevant suggestions, quick codebase familiarization, managing development workflows from issues to PRs, and executing powerful multi-file edits.

Does it support cache read?

The website mentions "Cached input tokens" in its pricing table, indicating that Claude IDE does support some form of cache reading or utilization to offer discounted rates on input tokens.