The same bank account can be reached from a branch, a website, a phone app or an ATM. The money is the same; only the counter changes.
A client is the counter for Claude Code: the window you type into. There are five: the terminal, the VS Code extension, the desktop app, the JetBrains plugin and the web at claude.ai/code. All of them run the same agent with the same models and tools, on the same folders. A skill learned in one moves to the others unchanged.
Example
You start a task in VS Code, then open the same folder in a terminal and type claude -c. The conversation continues where you left it. Different counter, same account.
Why it matters for you
Do not judge the agent by the client, and do not let the client choose for you. Pick the window that fits where you work (see Choosing a client), then spend your attention on prompts, context and files. Those transfer. The buttons do not matter.
Related
- Choosing a client - the comparison and recommendations
- Mental models - same agent, different windows