VS Code ACP Client extension: conect to Claude, Gemini, Codex, OpenCode, Qwen Code and so on

#vscode #ai #githubcopilot #openai

The Agent Client Protocol (ACP) standardizes communication between code editors/IDEs and coding agents.

Similar to how the Language Server Protocol (LSP) standardized language server integration. Agents that implement ACP work with any compatible editor. Editors that support ACP gain access to the entire ecosystem of ACP-compatible agents.

Last month, I used Tauri to build a modern, cross-platform desktop client for the Agent Client Protocol (ACP):

https://github.com/formulahendry/acp-ui

Then, I feel that it would be much useful if we could use VS Code as an ACP Client, leveraging the power of VS Code File System APIs and Terminal APIs, to provide native coding experiece.

Thus, I build an ACP Client extension for VS Code:

https://github.com/formulahendry/vscode-acp

Core Features

Multi-Agent Support: Connect to 8 pre-configured ACP agents or add your own
Single-Agent Focus: One agent active at a time — seamlessly switch between agents
Interactive Chat: Built-in chat panel with Markdown rendering, inline tool call display, and collapsible tool sections
Mode & Model Picker: Switch agent modes and models directly from the chat toolbar
File System Integration: Agents can read and write files in your workspace
Terminal Execution: Agents can run commands with terminal output display
Permission Management: Configurable auto-approve policies for agent actions
Protocol Traffic Logging: Inspect all ACP JSON-RPC messages with request/response/notification labels
Agent Registry: Browse and discover available ACP agents