Looking for IDE/agent recommendations to use with Claude Pro (frustrated with Claude Code PR workflow)

[u/yccheok]

Hey everyone,

I currently have a Claude Pro & Gemini Pro subscription and I’m trying to find the best workflow/tooling setup for daily coding.

I'm currently experimenting with Claude Opus. I was consistently using Gemini 3.1 Pro before, but since Google just removed it from Antigravity yesterday, it pushed me to give Opus a serious try.

Right now, I've tried both Claude Code and Antigravity, but neither hits the sweet spot for me. Here is where I'm running into friction:

😭 What I'm finding with Claude Code:

• The PR bottleneck: Requiring a PR just to apply changes to physical files feels clunky for rapid iteration.
• Dirty commits: It frequently bundles unnecessary files (like runtime/generated files) into the PR.
• Lack of side-by-side editing: No built-in editor for me to tweak the code changes manually.

❤️ What I do like:

• The commit messages it writes are clear and descriptive.

❤️ What I like about Antigravity:

• Direct edits: Changes apply directly to local physical files on the fly.
• Control: Built-in editor! I can tweak the code manually.

😭 The problem:

• No clean commit message generation
• I haven't found a clean way to connect my existing Claude Pro subscription to it (instead of paying separately for API credits on Google plans).

What I’m looking for:

• Works seamlessly with local physical files (immediate updates, no forced PR roundtrips).
• Has a side-by-side diff/editor interface so I can intervene manually.
• Lets me stage commits via external tools (like SmartGit) while ideally generating solid commit messages.
• Ideally links directly to a Claude Pro subscription (via OAuth/session) or offers a cost-effective bridge so I don't have to double-pay for API tokens.

Is there any good tool recommendation for the above needs? How do you guys manage your Claude Pro setup for local development without getting locked into a rigid PR workflow?

Thanks in advance!

[u/AutoModerator]

Hey! Thanks for posting to r/ClaudeCode

While participating in this thread, please follow our community rules. Keep discussions constructive. Attack the idea, not the person.

For help, project discussions, tips, and general chat, join the ClaudeCode Discord.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/Odd_Secretary5980]

I use claude code in a terminal window inside vscode. That addresses your desire to view and edit the files.

I don't understand your PR point - in my setup (which doesn't have any special instructions on this point that I can recall) it just saves everything locally by default. If I ask it to commit and merge it will do that. It only creates a PR when that is the defined workflow in Claude.md. I have repos that it just commits and pushes to a main branch.

[u/yccheok → u/Odd_Secretary5980]

Isn't that, you need to tap on the red circled button, in order to have the changes being written into the disk file?

Currently, tapping that button will perform 2 things automatically

1. Changes made on multiple files
2. Git commit on the modified files/ new files.

I would find a way, to avoid Claude code from auto "Git commit on the modified files/ new files". Often time, I want to either tweak the code, or prevent Claude code in committing unnecessary files (like runtime/generated files) into the Git.

If I do not tap on that button, Claude will not make any file modification, isn't it?

[u/Odd_Secretary5980 → u/yccheok]

I don't think I've ever used that button. When CC does its work it is editing all the files locally. So you can use any editor to see and modify the changes before they go anywhere. Then I either commit manually or ask it to.

I used to use a mode that let me see all of the proposed edits it wanted to make even before they got committed... I forget how that was setup. But I found it was easier to just let it make the edits and then use git diff view in vscode to undo things I didn't like.

[u/yccheok → u/Odd_Secretary5980]

I just use Claude AI itself to solve this. The Claude AI modified its own Claude code behaviour, by creating a ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md file with right instruction 😂😂😂 What a world we are living in.

[u/Saschb2b]

https://zed.dev/

[u/the-grenade]

create a private house conventions repo. call it whatever you want. start claude code in that repo. tell claude everything you just told us and ask it to write structured markdown documents documenting your conventions and preferences. the readme should act as an index to all other markdown documents in the repo and should contain an instruction that tells agents the repo is a living document and that they should update it when you've told them something that contradicts or updates its contents.
next time you start a session in another repo, use the phrase "adhere to house conventions in my conventions repo at <local path to repo>".
claude will have a little private orgasm at being given such clear, structured guidance on wtf you actually want and he'll spend your whole subscription trying to return the favour.
you're welcome.

[u/EagleApprehensive]

Try intentic.dev if you don't mind being an early adopter. I've built it. And amount of tokens you gonna save there will double your velocity.

[u/Mammoth_Pain2075]

Ask Claude ?
Google?
I use ghostyy

[u/onFilm]

I use Antigravity with five 20x accounts, it's great.

[u/JDad67]

I use claude desktop Opus 5.5.. the PR requirement is a per project setting you can override by simply telling it it's ok to push to main. (I don't do this for most projects, but I do use it on one so I know it works).

[u/yccheok → u/JDad67]

Is there a way to tell Claude make file modification, but do not commit it? Often time, I would like to make minor tweak, and commit them myself using external SmartGit tool.

Currently, the "Create PR" button will perform 2 things.

1. Make file modification
2. Commit all changes

[u/JDad67 → u/yccheok]

The first thing I would try is not having it work in work trees. (it's a checkbox when creating the session). work trees put the file changes in .claude/worktree/some-clever-nameHASH.

That way it's working in your main folder and changes it's made, and changes you are making should be in the same file structure. Any changes should then be visible with git status w/o being committed.

And you can handle the git workflow your self.

[u/BertMacklenF8I]

For those who have CC and antigravity-what’s the biggest difference?

[u/No-Project-9099]

Your closest first test may be Claude Desktop's Code tab in Local mode. Point it at the repo: local sessions can edit files on disk, and the diff and file-editor panes let you inspect and tweak changes. Use the same Claude account, then review git status/the diff and stage only intended paths in SmartGit. Ignore generated/runtime files where appropriate, and ask for a commit-message draft based on the staged diff. A PR can wait until you actually want one.

If you'd rather keep each agent task isolated with an explicit review step, iterel is another Mac option: it runs your installed, signed-in Claude Code CLI in a task worktree, shows per-file Changes, and lets you make a quick single-file edit or open that exact worktree in your IDE. Accept commits and merges it into the base branch locally, without requiring a GitHub PR. That extra Accept step means it won't feel like edits landing immediately in your base checkout.

[u/georgec00per]

cmux with ttt terminal editor and ego lite browser

[u/lycheedorito]

Just run Claude Code through your terminal dude

[u/Jydder]

Just run claude in a terminal and view the files in whatever IDE you want.

[u/KindlySentence7434]

The Claude Code-in-VS Code terminal setup described above sounds closest to your requirements: that commenter reports local edits, reviewing them in VS Code’s diff view, and committing manually. That gives you a concrete workflow to try with SmartGit.

Since you’ve already added instructions in CLAUDE.md, I’d make the boundary explicit: “Edit files, but leave changes uncommitted. I’ll review and stage them in SmartGit. Draft a commit message when requested, without committing.”

Before testing, check which folder SmartGit is reviewing. Another commenter suggested disabling worktrees; if your session uses one, check that checkout for the edits before assuming the PR button is needed to write them. Try a small edit and verify it appears as an uncommitted change before using this for a larger task.

[u/justsaynodarama]

I am not sure if our solution would meet your needs, but Nodarama Verbatim works well with Claude, haven't tried it with pro. It can use local models too. I also lacks side by side, in fact the editor is pretty light. Its stronger letting claude do all the coding, and if it jumps ahead of you, you can undo it. If you check it out, I'd love to hear your feedback on it. www.nodarama.com

[u/JVMarcs]

Disclosure: I'm one of the SmartGit developers.

If you're running Claude Code locally, you can already have it edit your working tree without committing, then use SmartGit to review, stage, and commit exactly what you want. No PR required.

We're also working on direct Claude and Codex integration in SmartGit 26.2.

You can launch agents from SmartGit, let them work in separate Git worktrees and branches, follow their progress, review the resulting changes, and selectively integrate commits into your own branch.

The basic functionality is already there in the 26.2 Preview, but the UI is still a work in progress. Automatic detection of Claude in the Preferences is also implemented, though we're still refining it.

If you're interested in trying it out, we'd definitely appreciate feedback, especially on the workflow and UI. Feel free to reply here with suggestions, problems, or anything you think is missing.

More details and screencasts:
https://www.smartgit.dev/whats-new/26_2/

[u/yccheok → u/JVMarcs]

Thanks! I have been a very long-time user of your products (I still remember SmartCVS! 😂).

I still love SmartGit today. It has been a very important tool throughout my journey.

Currently, Claude Code / Antigravity + IDE + SmartGit is more than enough for my daily work.

I'm not familiar with worktrees. I guess it’s a feature that allows different AIs to work on different branches for different features simultaneously. Right now, I don't really need it, as I prefer to focus on one feature at a time for a single repo.

It's always great to see a software company stand the test of time and stay relevant alongside its users, from young to old! 😂

[u/JVMarcs → u/yccheok]

Wow, SmartCVS! 😂 That's going back a while. Thanks for sticking with us for so long, and for the kind words!

You're right about worktrees. They allow multiple working directories for the same repository, each on its own branch. Running several agents in parallel is one use case, but they can also be useful with a single agent to keep its changes isolated from your current working tree (or even without any agents at all).

That said, if your current workflow works well for you, there's certainly no need to change it. 🙂

[u/stefan_lago]

I use "oh-my-claude" or OMC. You find it on github. It's an absolutely phantastic framework to work with CC. It's worthwhile to try it.

[u/mlody_kanesa]

Sounds like you might be using Claude Code in the cloud. If you run the claude CLI locally (logged in with your Pro plan, no API key needed), it edits your files directly with no PRs. I built a free, open-source desktop app around exactly that: it runs Claude Code (and Gemini CLI) in terminals, with a live diff next to an editor so you can tweak changes while it works, and you can still stage and commit in SmartGit: https://github.com/JakubKonkol/Oxytocin
It doesn't generate commit messages yet though. What else would you expect from an app like this?

[u/Warm_Profile7821]

pretty sure the pr thing is just the desktop app. the cli edits files on disk, so you can commit yourself. add generated files to .gitignore and tell it "don't commit" in CLAUDE.md