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●2.1.301 — Adds the vim % motion, LaTeX math rendering in the VS Code panel, and a retry-watchdog limit for usage-limit waits (10/15)●2.1.299 — Conversations over 200K tokens left idle about 54 minutes get compacted; MCP allow rules now match only the server they name●SONNET 4.5 — Retires on the Claude API on 11/30, 45 days left. Migrate to Sonnet 5.5●WINDOWS — Reports say hooks break silently only on Japanese-locale Windows; check the character encoding first●FAST MODE — Opus 5.5 fast mode is out of research preview and no longer needs the beta header (10/15)●NEW — I Put a Ten-Line Promise File at the To…●2.1.301 — Adds the vim % motion, LaTeX math rendering in the VS Code panel, and a retry-watchdog limit for usage-limit waits (10/15)●2.1.299 — Conversations over 200K tokens left idle about 54 minutes get compacted; MCP allow rules now match only the server they name●SONNET 4.5 — Retires on the Claude API on 11/30, 45 days left. Migrate to Sonnet 5.5●WINDOWS — Reports say hooks break silently only on Japanese-locale Windows; check the character encoding first●FAST MODE — Opus 5.5 fast mode is out of research preview and no longer needs the beta header (10/15)●NEW — I Put a Ten-Line Promise File at the To…
Articles/Claude Code
⟐ Claude Code/2026-04-04Beginner

Claude Code VS Code 'Not Responding — Try Stopping' — Isolating the Cause

Five step-by-step checks for the 'Not responding — try stopping' error in the Claude Code VS Code extension — root causes, Webview cache, Windows conflicts, and clean reinstalls.

Claude Code264VS Codetroubleshooting92not respondingerror fix

If you use Claude Code as a VS Code extension, you may have seen this frustrating message appear mid-task:

Not responding — try stopping

Clicking "try stopping" does nothing — or the button simply doesn't respond at all. This behavior is largely specific to the VS Code extension's Webview panel, and is much less common when using Claude Code from the terminal CLI directly.

Why Does Claude Code Show "Not Responding"?

The VS Code extension version of Claude Code relies on two components working in sync: the backend CLI process and the Webview GUI panel. The "Not responding" status appears when something breaks that connection:

  • Backend timeout (60+ seconds): Long-running tasks like large code generation or test execution can exceed the response window
  • Corrupted Webview deserialization: After restarting VS Code, a previously saved panel state can fail to restore cleanly
  • Claude Desktop conflict (Windows): Running the VS Code extension and Claude Desktop Code mode simultaneously on the same machine can cause sessions to disappear
  • CLI/extension version mismatch: When your CLI version and VS Code extension version are out of sync
  • Temporary network interruption: A brief connection drop prevents API responses from arriving

How to Fix It: 5 Steps

Step 1: Reload the VS Code Window

This is the quickest fix and works in most cases.

  1. Open the Command Palette (⌘ + Shift + P on macOS / Ctrl + Shift + P on Windows)
  2. Type "Developer: Reload Window" and press Enter

Reloading reinitializes the extension's context keys, which often resolves the Webview panel issue without losing your overall work. After the reload, you can resume your previous session:

# Resume a previous Claude Code session after reload
/resume

Step 2: Clear the Webview Cache

If a window reload doesn't help, the saved Webview state may be corrupted.

On Windows:

%APPDATA%\Code\User\workspaceStorage

Open that folder, find any subfolders related to anthropic.claude-code, and delete them. Then restart VS Code.

On macOS:

# Run in Terminal
rm -rf ~/Library/Application\ Support/Code/User/workspaceStorage/*anthropic*

After clearing the cache and restarting VS Code, the Webview panel will be recreated fresh instead of restoring a potentially broken state.

Step 3: Resolve the Claude Desktop Conflict (Windows)

On Windows, running both the VS Code Claude Code extension and Claude Desktop simultaneously is a known source of session conflicts. Sessions may disappear or become unresponsive because both applications compete for the same session management.

  • Fully quit Claude Desktop before using Claude Code in VS Code
  • Or switch to using the terminal CLI (claude command) as an alternative to the GUI panel

Anthropic is actively tracking this issue in GitHub Issues (#39381). Keeping both the extension and CLI updated is the best way to pick up fixes as they're released.

Step 4: Update to the Latest Version

Version mismatches between the CLI and the VS Code extension are a common culprit. Updating both will often resolve the problem.

# Update the Claude Code CLI globally
npm update -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
 
# Confirm the installed version
claude --version

In VS Code, open the Extensions panel (⌘ + Shift + X), search for "Claude Code", and click Update if the button is available. Restart VS Code after updating.

Step 5: Perform a Clean Reinstall

If you've tried all of the above and the issue persists, a clean reinstall is the most thorough option.

# 1. Uninstall the Claude Code VS Code extension from the Extensions panel
 
# 2. Reinstall the CLI
npm uninstall -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
 
# 3. Reinstall the extension from the VS Code Marketplace
# Search for "Claude Code" in the Extensions panel and install
 
# 4. Re-authenticate
claude login

Summary

When Claude Code shows "Not responding — try stopping" in VS Code, work through these steps in order:

  1. Reload the VS Code window (Developer: Reload Window) — try this first
  2. Clear the Webview cache — if a reload doesn't help
  3. Close Claude Desktop (Windows users) — resolves the session conflict
  4. Update CLI and extension to the latest version
  5. Clean reinstall — the nuclear option when nothing else works

Steps 1 and 2 resolve the issue in the majority of cases. If the error keeps coming back, consider breaking your work into smaller tasks or using the terminal CLI alongside the VS Code extension for a more stable experience.

For a deeper dive into handling all kinds of Claude Code errors, the Claude Code Error-Solving Prompt Templates Collection covers 30+ common error patterns with ready-to-use prompts. And if you want to unlock the full potential of the VS Code extension, check out Claude Code VS Code Extension Productivity Guide.

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