Multi-user permission conflict with shared /tmp/claude/ directory
Resolved 💬 2 comments Opened Jan 12, 2026 by jpthor Closed Jan 14, 2026
Description
When multiple users on the same machine use Claude Code, permission errors occur because the /tmp/claude/ directory is shared across all users.
Steps to Reproduce
- User A runs Claude Code - this creates
/tmp/claude/owned by User A - Switch to User B on the same machine
- User B runs Claude Code and attempts any Bash command
- Error occurs:
EACCES: permission denied, mkdir '/tmp/claude/-Users-...'
Error Message
Error: EACCES: permission denied, mkdir '/tmp/claude/-Users-userB-path-to-project/tasks'
Expected Behavior
Each user should have isolated temp directories that don't conflict with other users on the system.
Suggested Fix
Use per-user temp directories instead of a shared path:
$TMPDIR/claude/(macOS sets this per-user)/tmp/claude-$USER//tmp/claude/$UID/
Environment
- OS: macOS (Darwin 24.6.0)
- Multiple local user accounts on shared machine
Workaround
Run sudo rm -rf /tmp/claude when switching users.
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