When to choose it

Checking what happened in a session without adding another instruction to the main transcript.

Choose it if: you want a separate question about session context.

Look elsewhere if: you need an offline question tool or a side agent that edits project files.

What the source describes

Registers /aside and a pane backed by a tool-less transcript fork.
Displays fork/live mode and usage; side exchanges are not sent into the main conversation.

Requirements

Current official Mods requirement: Claude Code 2.1.287+ and permission to load user-installed Mods.
Interactive terminal; the author documents docking at 110 columns or wider.
Available model usage for additional side-question calls.

Install the plugin

Check current Mod support. Check your Claude Code version and organization policy. Current official documentation requires 2.1.287+; Mods are enabled by default. The old feature flag is ignored.
Shell • setup check
```
claude --version
```
Review model-call behavior. Read the pinned source and liveFallback option. Side questions use model usage; a tool-less fork is not an offline operation.
Activate and open. After installation, follow /plugin activation or /reload-plugins, then open the pane.
Claude Code command
```
/aside
```

These are the source’s documented installation steps. Read the source, license and requirements first. Marketplace installation can use a different scope from a local --plugin-dir session. Restart Claude Code or use /reload-plugins afterward.

Shell • documented source workflow

claude plugin marketplace add JayDoubleu/aside
claude plugin install aside@aside --scope local

Installation and loading troubleshooting

How to use it

Open the side pane without immediately asking a question.

Claude Code command

/aside

Ask a question when opening; replace the placeholder.

Claude Code command

/aside <question>

Focus the pane. The README also describes Tab after opening; Esc returns to the composer.

Ctrl+X then Tab — Keyboard shortcut

An original example for a bounded task. This request example is written by ClaudeStack; it is not a transcript of a tested session.

Request example

/aside Which files has Claude changed so far, and which tests has it actually run?

The documented liveFallback plugin option defaults to true. Turning it off avoids the pre-first-turn uncached fallback; side questions can still consume usage.

What to expect

The reviewed source describes these observations. ClaudeStack has not loaded or run this extension.

A separate answer based on available transcript context, with fork/live mode and usage information.
The source limits answer length; long answers may be clipped.

Self-check: Check the pane’s mode and usage. Compare important claims with the actual transcript; wait for the main turn to finish when recent work is absent.

Troubleshooting

The pane is inline or does not take input

Widen the terminal to at least 110 columns for docking. Use Tab or Ctrl+X then Tab to focus; Esc returns to the composer.

The answer misses the running turn

After a completed turn the fork uses the last completed transcript state. Wait for the turn to finish for current context.

An older setup guide requires a feature flag

The author tested 2.1.270 during early access. Current official docs require 2.1.287+ and ignore CLAUDE_CODE_ENABLE_FUNCTION_HOOKS.

Disable or remove it

Ctrl+X then X closes the pane. Closing the interface does not uninstall the Mod.
Disable or uninstall aside in /plugin to stop loading it; follow the session reload or restart instruction.

Limitations & considerations

Author’s README tested 2.1.270; current compatibility has not been runtime-tested here.
Read-only describes tool access; transcript content is still processed by model calls.
liveFallback defaults to true and can send uncached transcript text before a completed turn.

Mods execute with your user privileges and are not sandboxed. They can access files, launch processes and make network requests. ClaudeStack has not run or security-audited this Mod. Use claude plugin validate on a downloaded directory to inspect declared behavior; validation does not certify safety. Check the official trust guidance before loading it.

Source & review record

Our description is based on public documentation and manifests available on 2026-10-05, including the hooks-module pointer and registration source. Installation formats were checked against Claude Code and the relevant installer documentation. No extension code was executed: this is a source review, not a runtime compatibility test or security audit.

Repository last pushed at the time of review: 2026-09-14T20:15:34Z. This date does not prove that the extension works with a particular Claude Code release.

Usage guide sources

Upstream revision checked for this guide: cf2b7562ae7b376cdcf9e2436a926aba77dc759f. Command names and behavior in this guide are documentation and registration-source findings, not runtime verification.

Aside