[BUG] Shell snapshot creation causes 30-90 second delay per Bash command on Windows, only PC reboot helps

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?

Every Bash command in Claude Code takes 30-90 seconds to execute on Windows due to shell snapshot creation timing out with SIGTERM.

The same command runs instantly outside Claude Code:

• bash -l -c "which python3" in CMD: 2 seconds
• Same command in Claude Code: 60+ seconds

Debug logs show the shell snapshot creation starts, times out after 10 seconds with SIGTERM, then the command finally executes after massive delay.

Critical finding:

• PC reboot fixes the issue temporarily (fast operation for hours)
• Killing ALL node/claude processes and restarting Claude Code does NOT help
• Opening new terminal sessions doesn't help
• The setting shellSnapshotEnabled: false in settings.json has no effect
• Issue occurs on multiple Windows systems with different configurations (with/without Surfshark, with/without WSL)

This suggests something at the Windows OS level accumulates over time that only a full reboot clears.

What Should Happen?

Bash commands should execute within 1-2 seconds, matching the performance of running the same command directly in a terminal.

Ideally, there should be an official setting to completely disable shell snapshots for Windows users experiencing this issue.

Error Messages/Logs

2026-01-20T22:22:42.419Z [DEBUG] Creating shell snapshot for bash (C:\Users\[USERNAME]\AppData\Local\Programs\Git\bin\bash.exe)
2026-01-20T22:22:42.420Z [DEBUG] Looking for shell config file: C:\Users\[USERNAME]\.bashrc
2026-01-20T22:22:44.128Z [DEBUG] Creating snapshot at: C:\Users\[USERNAME]\.claude\shell-snapshots\snapshot-bash-1768947762421-pyadjy.sh
2026-01-20T22:22:54.465Z [DEBUG] Shell snapshot creation failed: Command failed
2026-01-20T22:22:54.466Z [DEBUG] - Error signal: SIGTERM
2026-01-20T22:22:54.466Z [DEBUG] - Error killed: true
2026-01-20T22:24:03.174Z [DEBUG] Getting matching hook commands for PostToolUseFailure with query: Bash

Timeline: 22:22:36 (command requested) → 22:24:03 (finally completed) = ~90 seconds for a simple command

Steps to Reproduce

1. Install Claude Code on Windows via npm
2. Use Claude Code normally for several hours
3. Run any Bash command (e.g., echo "Hello World" > test.txt)
4. Observe 30-90 second delay before execution starts
5. Kill all node.exe and claude.exe processes
6. Restart Claude Code
7. Run the same Bash command - still slow (this is the key observation)
8. Reboot PC
9. Run the same Bash command - now fast again
10. After several hours of use, slowdown returns

Claude Model

Opus

Is this a regression?

No, this never worked

Last Working Version

_No response_

Claude Code Version

2.1.12 (Claude Code)

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

Windows

Terminal/Shell

VS Code integrated terminal

Additional Information

Environment details:

• Windows 10/11 (tested on multiple systems)
• Claude Code CLI (not VS Code extension)
• Git Bash: C:\Users\[USERNAME]\AppData\Local\Programs\Git\bin\bash.exe
• Node.js installed via nvm or direct installer
• .bashrc is minimal (only PATH exports)

What does NOT help:

• Clearing shell-snapshots folder
• Setting shellSnapshotEnabled: false in settings.json
• Killing all node/claude processes
• Logging out and back in
• Opening new terminal windows

What DOES help:

• Full PC reboot (provides hours of fast operation)

Related issues:

• #15756 (Native UI mode hangs on shell snapshot creation)
• #11143 (Shell snapshot files interfering with PowerShell)
• #11201 (Segmentation fault during shell snapshot creation)

Suggested fix:
Add an official, working setting to completely bypass shell snapshot creation on Windows CLI.

Created with Claude OPUS 4.5