In this video I show you how I’m using the Claude Code Desktop App as a full development environment—running my code, previewing the app, and managing the terminal all inside Claude Desktop. No VS Code, no separate terminal windows, no juggling extensions. A few weeks ago it couldn’t do any of this, and now I genuinely haven’t opened my IDE in days. I walk through the interface, session sidebar, and how I run multiple agents and multiple projects in parallel (including local and cloud agents). Then we build a real app to learn the workflow: a Next.js thumbnail generator (Thumb Forge) using Gemini 3 Pro Image Preview. I start in planning mode to brainstorm a PRD, then I show you why context is king—docs, URLs, and code snippets massively improve agent output (especially when model names or SDK details get fuzzy). From there I approve the plan, switch permission modes (including YOLO bypass permissions), use the built-in preview window, and enable auto-verify so Claude can take live screenshots and fix UI issues based on what it sees. Finally, I push the repo to GitHub, spin up cloud agents in parallel, and merge changes via pull requests. I also cover plugins/MCP marketplace (including a front-end design skill), work trees, and advanced options like SSH connections and remote control.