[BUG] Claude Desktop shows "failed to load session" when Git is not installed

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, Claude Code in the Claude Desktop app shows "failed to load session" when Git is not installed. The app offers to install dependencies at startup but doesn't detect missing Git. The VS Code extension correctly shows a Git Bash required error for the same issue.

What Should Happen?

Show a clear error message like "Git is required" instead of "failed to load session."

Error Messages/Logs

Steps to Reproduce

1. Use Windows 11 without Git installed
2. Install Claude Desktop app
3. Open Claude Code and allow it to install dependencies
4. Select any folder and send a message
5. Error appears: "failed to load session"

Claude Model

None

Is this a regression?

I don't know

Last Working Version

_No response_

Claude Code Version

latest

Platform

Other

Operating System

Windows

Terminal/Shell

Other

Additional Information

_No response_