[BUG] Cowork incorrectly shows "Apple Silicon required" error on M2 Max MacBook Pro

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?

When attempting to use Cowork in Claude Desktop, I receive an error message stating "Apple Silicon required - Cowork requires a Mac with Apple Silicon (M1 or later). Intel-based Macs are not currently supported."

However, I am running a MacBook Pro with an M2 Max chip, which is Apple Silicon. The chip detection appears to be incorrectly identifying my machine as Intel-based.

What Should Happen?

Cowork should correctly detect Apple Silicon (M2 Max) and allow access to the Cowork feature without showing the "Apple Silicon required" error.

Error Messages/Logs

Apple Silicon required
Cowork requires a Mac with Apple Silicon (M1 or later). Intel-based Macs are not currently supported.

Steps to Reproduce

1. Open Claude Desktop app on MacBook Pro with M2 Max chip
2. 2. Navigate to the Cowork tab
3. 3. Receive error: "Apple Silicon required - Cowork requires a Mac with Apple Silicon (M1 or later). Intel-based Macs are not currently supported."

System Info (from About This Mac):

• MacBook Pro 14-inch, 2023
• - Chip: Apple M2 Max
• - - Memory: 32 GB
• - - - macOS: Sequoia 15.3.1

The chip detection is incorrectly identifying this M2 Max as an Intel-based Mac.

Claude Model

None

Is this a regression?

No, this never worked

Last Working Version

_No response_

Claude Code Version

Claude Desktop App (latest version as of Jan 14, 2026)

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

macOS

Terminal/Shell

Terminal.app (macOS)

Additional Information

Verified Apple Silicon:

• Confirmed via "About This Mac" that the chip is Apple M2 Max
• - Activity Monitor shows apps running as "Apple" architecture
• - - This is not an Intel-based Mac running through Rosetta

Possible causes:

• The chip detection logic in the Claude Desktop app may be incorrectly identifying M2 Max as Intel
• - Could be a JavaScript/native detection bug

Screenshots attached showing:

1. The error message in Claude Desktop
2. 2. About This Mac confirming M2 Max chip