[BUG] Windows installer reports success but fails to create claude.exe in target directory

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?

Summary

The Windows PowerShell installer script (install.ps1) reports successful installation but fails to actually create the claude.exe file in the target directory C:\Users\<username>\.local\bin\.

Environment

• OS: Windows 11 Pro (Build 10.0.26200)
• PowerShell Version: 7.5.4
• Claude Code Version: 2.0.67
• Installation Method: PowerShell script via irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex

Root Cause Analysis

After examining the installer script, the issue appears to be in this flow:

1. Script downloads claude.exe to temporary location: $env:USERPROFILE\.claude\downloads\claude-$version-$platform.exe
2. Script runs & $binaryPath install to set up the launcher
3. The install subcommand reports success but fails to create the executable
4. Script deletes the temporary file in the finally block

When running the installer manually:

$GCS_BUCKET = "https://storage.googleapis.com/claude-code-dist-86c565f3-f756-42ad-8dfa-d59b1c096819/claude-code-releases"
$version = Invoke-RestMethod -Uri "$GCS_BUCKET/stable"
$platform = "win32-x64"
$downloadPath = "$env:USERPROFILE\Downloads\claude-installer.exe"
Invoke-WebRequest -Uri "$GCS_BUCKET/$version/$platform/claude.exe" -OutFile $downloadPath

& $downloadPath install stable

It produces the same "successfully installed" message but does not actually create the file at the reported location.

Directory Permissions

Permissions are correct and allow full control:

Path   : C:\Users\Cody\.local\bin
Owner  : BUILTIN\Administrators
Access : NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM Allow  FullControl
         BUILTIN\Administrators Allow  FullControl
         COMPUTERNAME\Cody Allow  FullControl

Workaround

Manual installation works:

# Download the installer
$GCS_BUCKET = "https://storage.googleapis.com/claude-code-dist-86c565f3-f756-42ad-8dfa-d59b1c096819/claude-code-releases"
$version = Invoke-RestMethod -Uri "$GCS_BUCKET/stable"
$platform = "win32-x64"
$downloadPath = "$env:USERPROFILE\Downloads\claude-installer.exe"
Invoke-WebRequest -Uri "$GCS_BUCKET/$version/$platform/claude.exe" -OutFile $downloadPath

# Manually copy to target location
New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force -Path "C:\Users\$env:USERNAME\.local\bin"
Copy-Item $downloadPath "C:\Users\$env:USERNAME\.local\bin\claude.exe"

# Add C:\Users\<username>\.local\bin to PATH manually through System Properties

What Should Happen?

The claude.exe file should be created at C:\Users\Cody\.local\bin\claude.exe` and be executable.

Actual Behavior

• The installer reports "✔ Claude Code successfully installed!"
• The installer reports the location as C:\Users\Cody\.local\bin\claude.exe
• The installer warns that "claude command not found at C:\Users\Cody\.local\bin\claude.exe"
• The directory C:\Users\Cody\.local\bin\ exists but is empty (or does not contain claude.exe)
• Running claude fails with "command not found"

Error Messages/Logs

Steps to Reproduce

1. Run the installer:

``powershell
irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex
``

1. Observe the output:

``
Setting up Claude Code...
✔ Claude Code successfully installed!
Version: 2.0.67
Location: C:\Users\Cody\.local\bin\claude.exe
Next: Run claude --help to get started
⚠ Setup notes:
• installMethod is native, but claude command not found at C:\Users\Cody\.local\bin\claude.exe
• Native installation exists but C:\Users\Cody\.local\bin is not in your PATH.
``

1. Check the directory:

``powershell
Get-ChildItem C:\Users\Cody\.local\bin\
``
Result: Directory is empty

1. Verify file doesn't exist:

``powershell
Test-Path "C:\Users\Cody\.local\bin\claude.exe"
`
Result: False`

Claude Model

None

Is this a regression?

I don't know

Last Working Version

_No response_

Claude Code Version

--

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

Windows

Terminal/Shell

Windows Terminal

Additional Information

• This appears to be a bug in the claude.exe install subcommand itself, not the PowerShell wrapper script
• The issue affects the native Windows installation method
• The installer provides misleading success feedback when the operation actually failed