Claude Code Startup Delay: 12 second wait due to Grove notice config fetch failing with HTTP 500

Claude Code Startup Delay: 12 second wait due to Grove notice config fetch failing with HTTP 500

Summary

Claude Code takes 10-12 seconds to start an interactive session due to a failed network request to fetch "Grove notice config" that returns HTTP 500 and times out.

Environment

• Claude Code Version: 2.0.37
• OS: macOS 14.6 (Darwin 24.6.0)
• Machine: Mac Studio (M4)
• Installation: Native installer

Problem Description

When launching Claude Code with the claude command, there's a consistent 10-12 second delay before the interactive prompt appears. This affects all directories, not just specific projects.

Timeline

• 1 month ago: Claude Code startup was instant (~0.2s)
• Now: Consistent 10-12 second delay on every startup

Steps to Reproduce

1. Open terminal
2. Run claude command
3. Wait for interactive prompt to appear
4. Observe 10-12 second delay

Expected Behavior

Claude Code should start the interactive session within 1-2 seconds, as it did previously and as the binary itself performs (claude --version returns in 0.19s).

Actual Behavior

The command hangs for 10-12 seconds before showing the interactive prompt.

Technical Analysis

Debug Log Evidence

From ~/.claude/debug/latest:

[DEBUG] Creating snapshot at: /Users/imu/.claude/shell-snapshots/snapshot-zsh-1762894032175-wavntw.sh
[DEBUG] Shell snapshot created successfully (152240 bytes)
[ERROR] AxiosError: Error
    at Kw (/$bunfs/root/claude:59:1142)
    at <anonymous> (/$bunfs/root/claude:64:10074)
    at emit (node:events:92:22)
    at endReadableNT (internal:streams/readable:861:50)
    at processTicksAndRejections (native:7:39)
    at request (/$bunfs/root/claude:66:2146)
    at processTicksAndRejections (native:7:39)
[DEBUG] Failed to fetch Grove notice config: AxiosError: Request failed with status code 500

Timing Breakdown

• Timestamp 1762894032200: Shell snapshot completed
• Timestamp 1762894044683: Grove fetch failed and gave up
• Delay: 12.483 seconds spent waiting for Grove fetch to timeout

Key Observations

1. The delay is NOT project-specific (happens in all directories, including home)
2. The binary itself starts fast (claude --version = 0.19s)
3. Network connectivity to api.anthropic.com is working (0.19s response time)
4. The issue is specifically with the "Grove notice config" endpoint returning HTTP 500

Root Cause

Claude Code attempts to fetch a "Grove notice config" during startup initialization. This request:

• Fails with HTTP 500 (server error)
• Waits for timeout/retries (~12.5 seconds)
• Only then proceeds with session initialization

Impact

• Every Claude Code session startup is delayed by 10-12 seconds
• Affects productivity significantly for users who frequently start new sessions
• Particularly noticeable since the binary itself and all other operations are fast

Possible Solutions

1. Short-term: Reduce timeout for this non-critical config fetch
2. Medium-term: Make the Grove config fetch non-blocking (fetch in background)
3. Long-term: Fix the HTTP 500 error on the Grove service endpoint
4. Fallback: Cache previous Grove config and use stale-while-revalidate pattern

Additional Context

• This appears to be a recent regression (within the last month)
• The Grove service endpoint may have been recently added or is experiencing issues
• Network/firewall is unlikely the cause since other Anthropic API calls work fine

System Details

macOS: Darwin 24.6.0
RAM: 36 GB
Claude Code: 2.0.37 (native installer)
Shell: zsh
Network: Fast, stable connection (0.19s to api.anthropic.com)

Debug Logs

Full debug log excerpt available upon request. The issue is consistently reproducible across multiple sessions.