Claude in Chrome - "Invalid token or user mismatch" bridge error on Windows 11

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 Desktop cannot connect to the Claude in Chrome extension. The WebSocket bridge at wss://bridge.claudeusercontent.com always rejects the connection with "Invalid token or user mismatch" (close code 1008). The Chrome extension side panel works independently (can chat with Haiku), but the bridge connection between Desktop and Chrome never succeeds.

What Should Happen?

Claude Desktop should successfully connect to the Chrome extension via the WebSocket bridge, allowing browser automation tools (tabs_context_mcp, read_page, navigate, etc.) to function.

Error Messages/Logs

[Chrome Extension MCP] Extension fcoeoabgfenejglbffodgkkbkcdhcgfn found in: Chrome, Edge
[Chrome Extension MCP] Native host installation complete
[Claude in Chrome] MCP server registered
[Claude in Chrome] Connecting to bridge: wss://bridge.claudeusercontent.com/chrome/<user-id>
[Claude in Chrome] WebSocket connected, sending connect message
[Claude in Chrome] Bridge error: Invalid token or user mismatch
[Claude in Chrome] Bridge connection closed (code: 1008, duration: 0ms)
[Claude in Chrome] Bridge reconnecting in 2000ms (attempt 1)


Additionally, the native host exe gets "Access denied (os error 5)" when trying to connect to the named pipe \\.\pipe\claude-mcp-browser-bridge-<username>, even though PowerShell can connect to the same pipe successfully.

Steps to Reproduce

Install Claude Desktop v1.1.2998 on Windows 11
Install Claude in Chrome extension v1.0.49 from Chrome Web Store
Sign into both with the same account
Open Chrome, open the Claude side panel
In Claude Desktop, start a conversation and use any Chrome MCP tool (e.g. tabs_context_mcp)
Connection fails with "Invalid token or user mismatch"

Claude Model

Opus

Is this a regression?

No, this never worked

Last Working Version

N/A

Claude Code Version

2.1.40 (embedded in Claude Desktop v1.1.2998)

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

Windows

Terminal/Shell

PowerShell

Additional Information

Reinstalled Chrome extension from scratch (removed + cleared all Local Extension Settings data) - no change
Logged out and back into both Claude Desktop and Chrome extension - no change
Cleared oauth:tokenCache from config.json - no change
Restarted both apps multiple times - no change
Removed Chrome organization policy (LocalNetworkAccessAllowedForUrls from Concentrix Corporation) that was blocking local network access - no change
Native messaging host is correctly registered in Windows registry at HKCU\SOFTWARE\Google\Chrome\NativeMessagingHosts\com.anthropic.claude_browser_extension
Extension ID fcoeoabgfenejglbffodgkkbkcdhcgfn matches allowed_origins in native host manifest
Chrome has only one active profile (Profile 1)
The bridge keeps retrying with exponential backoff but always gets the same "Invalid token or user mismatch" rejection
Possibly related to issues #20298, #20887, #22052