[BUG]
Status Fixed / completed
Reported on v2.1.42
Maintainer reply None cached
Workaround ✓ Mentioned in thread ↓
Activity 5 comments · opened Feb 15, 2026 · closed Mar 4, 2026
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?
Fresh installation of claude code CLI hangs on launch at "checking connectivity...". Using claude auth login or claude setup-token give a URL that works correctly, but the authentication token that the webpage supplies to paste into the CLI does nothing: the CLI is just hung.
What Should Happen?
Presumably I should be able to paste in the auth token? I don't know, I've never seen the correct prompt.
Error Messages/Logs
There's not much to go on. I run `claude` and it just sits there at `* Checking connectivity...`. I've run it with `--verbose` and `doctor`, which say nothing and just that the version is the most recent, respectively. `claude auth login` hangs after printing the URL (it doesn't seem possible to tell whether it knows the browser has been opened or whether the web auth has happened, but it definitely isn't responsive when trying to paste a code---is there supposed to be an input prompt for that?)Steps to Reproduce
Fresh CLI install. Run claude. It hangs immediately after printing the graphics and first message.
Claude Model
Not sure / Multiple models
Is this a regression?
No, this never worked
Last Working Version
_No response_
Claude Code Version
2.1.42 (Claude Code)
Platform
Anthropic API
Operating System
Windows
Terminal/Shell
WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux)
Additional Information
- I've restarted terminals and machines.
- I've blown away the
.claudedirectories and.claude*files several times. - I can use claude code from the code panel in the desktop app.
- I've verified I have an active pro subscription and available usage for this window.
- I've run
claude update(it reports that it was already up to date, since it's a fresh install) - I've talked with claude itself and the FIN chatbot about this. Claude hallucinates CLI options that don't exist and FIN gets stuck in a loop giving the same suggestions (check your VPN and check for a key env var---both of which I do not have).
- I've checked other related bugs like #1087 and #15615, but (as above) removing the files and directories does not help.
5 Comments
Found 3 possible duplicate issues:
This issue will be automatically closed as a duplicate in 3 days.
🤖 Generated with Claude Code
#17952 is reported as a latency issue even though the symptom is similar. That said, I've never had the CLI environment work correctly, so it's unclear whether this is a dup.
#20756 has a working claude prompt so is dissimilar.
#21366 is somewhat similar, but
claude updatedoes work for me. I've already tried removing any.claudefiles and directories.Honestly, it's hard to tell if any of these are dups, because none have been responded to, so there's no actual steps to take or fixes to try.
Was just facing this, also no help from chatbot. Just seems entirely detached from stdin.
An easy workaround that worked for me was going to a fresh install and simply running "claude" (no args) to do the cute asciiart interactive setup.
Going to close this as "non-reproducible: chaos". There's too many moving pieces, nowhere near enough debug information, and claude has started and stopped and restarted working several times over the course of the last two weeks. I have no idea what the original (or subsequent) issues were, and the support team bot that got back to me just reiterated all the things I'd mentioned I'd already tried. Ultimately, most of the functionality has started working on its own, likely no thanks to anything I did, so it's probably not worth anyone's time to try to narrow this down anymore.
To @ipixelpixels: that's something I did try a couple of times, to no avail. I'm glad it worked for you, though, and it's a good starting point for anyone else that stumbles across this later.
This issue has been automatically locked since it was closed and has not had any activity for 7 days. If you're experiencing a similar issue, please file a new issue and reference this one if it's relevant.