[BUG] Claude Code fails to load task with RPC error: session user directory missing even after reinstall

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 suddenly stopped working during normal usage.
Now, any task fails to load with an RPC error, even after completely reinstalling Claude Code.

The error indicates that Claude expects a session user to already exist, but the corresponding directory is missing. Recovery also fails.

This happens regardless of the prompt content and even for trivial tasks.

What Should Happen?

Claude Code should load the task normally and respond to the prompt.

Reinstalling the application should reset any broken local state and recover from missing session data.

Error Messages/Logs

This task didn't load properly

RPC error: ensure user: user amazing-great-ptolemy should already exist but does not,
and recovery failed: home directory /sessions/amazing-great-ptolemy does not exist:
stat /sessions/amazing-great-ptolemy: no such file or directory

Steps to Reproduce

Use Claude Code normally for some time (exact trigger unclear).

Suddenly, any new task fails to load.

Reinstall Claude Code completely.

Launch Claude Code again.

Run any prompt (even a simple one).

The same RPC error appears immediately.

⚠️ The issue persists even after reinstall and is not related to specific prompt content.

Claude Model

None

Is this a regression?

Yes, this worked in a previous version

Last Working Version

Claude Opus 4.6

Claude Code Version

Claude Code latest version: 2.1.37

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

macOS

Terminal/Shell

Terminal.app (macOS)

Additional Information

_No response_