Claude Code Platforms & Integrations
Claude Code executes the same unified agentic engine everywhere, but each surface is tuned for a distinct operational context. Compare terminal, desktop, IDE extensions, cloud runners, and mobile remote control.
1. Platform Comparison Matrix
| Surface | Best For | What You Get |
|---|---|---|
| Terminal CLI | Terminal-native devs, scripting, SSH remotes | Full feature set, headless -p, Agent SDK, macOS computer use, 3P cloud providers (Bedrock, Vertex) |
| Desktop App | Visual diff inspection, parallel sessions | Interactive diff viewer, local web app previews, mobile Dispatch receiver |
| VS Code Extension | In-editor workflows without terminal switching | Inline diff view, editor file context, seamless integration with active editor tabs |
| JetBrains Plugin | IntelliJ, PyCharm, WebStorm, GoLand | IDE diff viewer, selection sharing, terminal bridge |
| Web (claude.ai/code) | Long-running tasks & disconnected work | Cloud microVM execution; keeps running even after your local laptop disconnects |
| Mobile (iOS & Android) | Monitoring & steering while away from desk | Drive running local sessions via Remote Control, spawn tasks via Dispatch to Desktop |
2. Working Away from Your Terminal
You do not need to stay chained to your workstation to monitor long-running builds, migrations, or test suites:
- Remote Control: Run
claude remote-controlin your local terminal. Claude prints a secure link. Open that link on your phone or in a web browser atclaude.ai/codeto steer and approve commands on your local machine. - Mobile Dispatch: Message a coding task from the Claude mobile app directly to your desktop. Your local Claude Desktop wakes up, creates a worktree, and begins execution.
- Channels: Push real-time events from chat services (Telegram, Discord, or internal webhooks) into a local Claude Code terminal session to trigger autonomous bug fixes.
3. External Service Integrations
| Integration | Core Mechanism | Primary Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| Chrome Browser | Controls browser using logged-in user profile | End-to-end web app testing, visual UI verification, submitting forms without public APIs |
| GitHub Actions | Runs Claude Code directly in CI pipelines | Automated PR triage, dependency audits, scheduled code maintenance |
| Slack (@Claude) | Responds to channel mentions under user or bot identity | Turning production incident logs into pull requests directly from team chat |
| Model Context Protocol (MCP) | Standardized client-server protocol over stdio / HTTP | Connecting internal SQL databases, Notion workspaces, Linear tickets, and APIs |
4. Configuring Model Context Protocol (MCP)
Connect third-party data stores and SaaS tools directly to Claude Code from your shell:
# Add an HTTP-based MCP server: claude mcp add --transport http notion https://mcp.notion.com/mcp # Add a local stdio MCP server (e.g. SQLite database): claude mcp add sqlite -- npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-sqlite --db /path/to/app.dbOnce added, run /mcp inside any session to list active tools or temporarily disable servers you do not need.
Next Step: Learn how Anthropic automates pull request reviews with multi-agent verification: Explore Automated GitHub PR Code Review →