[BUG] Windows desktop app: approving a permission request from the notification makes the taskbar button flash orange (a second app instance is launched)

Preflight Checklist

• [x] I have searched existing issues and this hasn't been reported yet
• [x] This is a single bug report (please file separate reports for different bugs)
• [x] I am using the latest version of Claude Code

What's Wrong?

On Windows 10, in the Claude desktop app (Code tab): when a permission request arrives while another window (Chrome) is in the foreground, I click the Allow button on the Windows notification. About 0.7 seconds later the Claude taskbar button turns orange, flashes for about 15 seconds, and stays highlighted until I switch to the Claude window. The Claude window never comes to the front.

It happens every time, even though "Draw attention on notifications" is Off. The flashing does not start when the notification arrives, only after I click Allow on it. The approval itself works correctly.

Likely cause, from main.log: every click on a notification button starts a second instance of the app, which exits immediately (log lines below). The same sequence follows all 16 notification approvals in my current log. It looks like the main instance tries to focus its window on second-instance; Windows refuses the foreground switch and flashes the taskbar button instead. This link is inferred from the timing; I have not verified it separately.

What Should Happen?

Approving a request from the notification should not flash the taskbar button. The request is already handled and nothing needs my attention. Ideally a notification action button would not launch a second app instance at all.

Error Messages/Logs

2026-10-12 10:00:30 [info] Emitted tool permission request <id> for PowerShell in session <id>
2026-10-12 10:00:33 [info] Permission ALLOW_ONCE from notification { requestId: '<id>', sessionId: '<id>', backend: 'electron' }
2026-10-12 10:00:33 [info] Received permission response for <id>: once (tool: PowerShell)
2026-10-12 10:00:34 [info] second-instance: suppressing duplicate argv
2026-10-12 10:00:33 [info] Starting app { appVersion: '2.31226.1', isPackaged: true, platform: 'win32', arch: 'x64', nodeVersion: '24.21.0' }
2026-10-12 10:00:33 [info] [windows-app-job] joined
2026-10-12 10:00:34 [info] [CCD] Initialized with version 2.1.295
2026-10-12 10:00:34 [info] Not main instance, returning early from app ready

Steps to Reproduce

1. Windows 10, Claude desktop app (packaged Windows app), Code tab. Settings: Permission request notifications = Banners, "Draw attention on notifications" = Off.
2. Start a task that will need a tool approval (for example a PowerShell command that is not pre-approved), then switch to another app such as Chrome.
3. When the Windows notification appears, click Allow on it and stay in the other app.
4. About 0.7 s later the Claude taskbar button turns orange and flashes. The Claude window does not come to the front. The button stays highlighted until the Claude window is activated.

Recorded twice while capturing the taskbar, and the same log sequence follows every notification approval.

Claude Model

None

Is this a regression?

I don't know

Last Working Version

_No response_

Claude Code Version

2.1.295 (Claude Code), bundled in Claude desktop app 2.31226.1

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

Windows

Terminal/Shell

Other

Additional Information

Measured timeline (a script captured the taskbar strip every 0.3 s and logged the foreground process)

| time | event |
|---|---|
| 10:00:23.61 | Chrome in the foreground, Claude taskbar button normal |
| 10:00:30.85 | notification arrives (Action Center count 9 -> 10), button still normal |
| 10:00:33.60 | click on Allow in the notification (ShellExperienceHost briefly in the foreground) |
| 10:00:34.33 | Claude taskbar button turns orange, then changes about every 0.3 s until 10:00:49 |
| 10:01:03.42 | I switch to Claude, the highlight clears |

Second occurrence in the same recording: request emitted 10:02:05, Allow clicked on the notification at 10:02:09.1, button orange at 10:02:09.75. An approval given inside the app window (10:01:08) did not flash.

Environment

• Claude desktop app 2.31226.1, MSIX package Claude_pzs8sxrjxfjjc. Claude Code 2.1.295 as bundled in the desktop app (npm latest when filing: 2.1.296; the bundled version cannot be updated separately).
• Windows 10 Pro 10.0.19043, x64, display scaling 125%, Hebrew (right-to-left) interface.
• Notification settings: permission requests = Banners (default), "Draw attention on notifications" = Off.

Related, not duplicates

• #90156 (MSIX: clicking a notification leaves the window painted-frozen)
• #98820 (second instances launched by background auto-update restore and focus the main window)

Workaround: clicking the Claude taskbar button clears the highlight; approving inside the app window avoids it.

This report was prepared with Claude's help, from the app log and the taskbar recording.