[BUG] Claude Code crashes silently on Windows 11 25H2 (build 26200)

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?

Claude Code crashes silently (no error message, returns to command prompt) whenever it attempts to render terminal UI output. The crash occurs in both interactive mode and non-interactive -p mode with default output formatting.
Symptoms:

claude.exe → May or may not show intro screen, silently crashes after a few seconds
claude.exe -p "hello" → Silent failure, no output
claude.exe -p "hello" --output-format json → Silent failure
claude.exe --version → Works
claude.exe --help → Works
claude.exe -p "hello" --output-format=stream-json → Works correctly

Debug log evidence:

The debug log shows successful API connection and response receipt before the crash:

[DEBUG] Stream started - received first chunk
[DEBUG] Ripgrep first use test: PASSED
[DEBUG] Shell snapshot created successfully

No errors are logged — the process simply terminates.

Troubleshooting performed:

• Fresh install with empty .claude folder and .claude.json — still crashes
• Tested with OAuth authentication — crashes
• Tested with API key authentication — crashes
• Tested in conhost.exe (bypassing Windows Terminal) — crashes
• Verified API connectivity via curl — works
• No entries in Windows Event Viewer or Defender protection history

Workaround:

Using --output-format=stream-json bypasses the TUI renderer and works correctly.

Likely cause:

The TUI rendering code appears incompatible with Windows 11 25H2's console subsystem. The crash occurs specifically when rendering output, not during API communication or authentication.

What Should Happen?

TUI should launch and respond to input, without crashing.

Error Messages/Logs

Steps to Reproduce

• Install Claude Code native on Windows 11 25H2
• Invoke claude.exe

Claude Model

Not sure / Multiple models

Is this a regression?

Yes, this worked in a previous version

Last Working Version

2.1.3

Claude Code Version

2.1.4 (Claude Code)

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

Windows

Terminal/Shell

Windows Terminal

Additional Information

_No response_