A desktop app for Claude Code: four ways to use it outside the terminal
Short answer: you have four good options. Use Anthropic's own Claude Code desktop app or the web version for one session at a time with a friendlier interface. Use the VS Code or JetBrains extension to keep Claude Code next to your editor. Use an agent IDE such as Zokie or a runner such as Conductor to run several Claude Code sessions at once, each on its own branch, and review their diffs in one window. All of them use the same Claude plan.
Claude Code started as a terminal tool, and the terminal is still where it is most flexible. But once you run more than one session, or want to read diffs comfortably, a graphical app makes life easier.
At a glance
| Option | Best for | Parallel sessions | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Code desktop app | One session with a friendlier UI | A few, managed by you | macOS, Windows |
| Claude Code on the web | Working from any browser, cloud sessions | Yes, in the cloud | Browser |
| VS Code / JetBrains extension | Keeping Claude Code beside your editor | One per editor window | Anywhere those IDEs run |
| Zokie | Many tasks at once, each in its own worktree, reviewed as diffs | Yes, with a Board | macOS, Windows |
| Conductor | Parallel Claude Code sessions on a Mac | Yes | macOS |
Disclosure: we build Zokie.
1. Anthropic's Claude Code desktop app
The official desktop app gives Claude Code a proper window: a chat, file and diff views, and permission prompts as buttons instead of terminal questions. It uses the same Claude login and plan as the CLI.
Choose it if you want the official experience and mostly work on one task at a time.
2. Claude Code on the web
The web version runs sessions in the cloud against your GitHub repositories, so you can start a task from any browser and come back later.
Choose it if you want to start work away from your own machine, or don't want agents running on your laptop.
3. The VS Code and JetBrains extensions
The extensions put Claude Code in a panel inside your editor and show its edits as normal editor diffs.
Choose it if you still edit a lot by hand and want the agent one click away.
4. An agent IDE: Zokie or Conductor
Agent IDEs wrap Claude Code (and usually other agents) in an app designed around many tasks at once. Each task gets its own git worktree and branch, so sessions never collide, and you see every task's status in one place.
- Zokie runs Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI and Cursor CLI. A Board shows every task (Backlog, Running, Needs you, In review, Done), each task's diff sits beside its chat, sub-agents can split big tasks, and each task ends as a pull request. It is about 14 MB and runs on macOS and Windows. Invite only for now.
- Conductor is a Mac app that runs Claude Code, Codex and others in parallel worktrees with a diff view per workspace.
Choose one if you regularly have more than one change in flight. See how to run several agents with git worktrees for what they automate.
Does a wrapper app change what Claude Code can do?
No. Apps like Zokie and Conductor run the real Claude Code CLI on your machine with your login. The agent, its model and its limits are the same. What changes is how you start tasks, answer the agent's questions, and review what it did.
Setting up Claude Code in any of them
- Install Claude Code and sign in once with a paid Claude plan (or an API key).
- Open your repository in the app you chose.
- Describe the task in plain language, including what "done" means.
- Review the diff and run the tests before you merge; see how to review AI-written code.
FAQ
Is there an official Claude Code desktop app?
Yes. Anthropic offers Claude Code as a CLI, a desktop app for macOS and Windows, a web version, and VS Code and JetBrains extensions.
Do I pay extra to use Claude Code in another app?
Not for Claude Code itself: apps like Zokie and Conductor use your existing Claude plan. Some apps charge for their own extra features.
Can I run several Claude Code sessions at once?
Yes. Give each session its own git worktree so they don't edit the same files. Agent IDEs do this for you.
Is Claude Code in a GUI slower than in the terminal?
No. The same CLI does the work; the app only shows it differently.