[BUG] Cowork fails on Windows 11 Pro with debloated installation (missing Hyper-V features)

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?

Description

Cowork fails to initialize with "Feature enablement failed (exit code 1)" on Windows 11 Pro
systems where Hyper-V features have been removed by system debloating tools (e.g., MiniOS11).

Environment

• OS: Windows 11 Pro (Build 26100.268)
• Version: 24H2
• Claude Desktop: v1.1.2321
• Processor: Intel Core i7-14700
• RAM: 64 GB
• WSL2: v2.4.11.0 (functional)
• Hyper-V: Not available (features removed by debloating)

Reproduction Steps

1. Install Windows 11 Pro
2. Apply MiniOS11 or similar debloating script (removes Hyper-V features)
3. Install Claude Desktop
4. Open Claude Desktop
5. Click on "Cowork" tab
6. Observe error

Expected Behavior

Cowork should either initialize successfully (using WSL2 as fallback) OR provide a clear,
actionable error message explaining that Hyper-V features are missing.

Actual Behavior

Error shown: Feature enablement failed (exit code 1)

Logs show:

[cleanupVMBundleIfUnsupported] yukonSilver not supported (status=unsupported)
[SwiftVM] Failed to load module: Cannot find package '@ant/claude-swift'

Technical Details

What works:

• ✅ Intel VT-x enabled in BIOS
• ✅ WSL2 functional (v2.4.11.0 running)
• ✅ Windows 11 Pro verified
• ✅ 64GB RAM, i7-14700

What's broken:

• ❌ Hyper-V feature files missing from disk
• ❌ DISM reports: "Feature name Microsoft-Hyper-V-All is unknown"
• ❌ Platform detection reports: "yukonSilver not supported"

Root Cause

MiniOS11 and similar debloating scripts permanently remove Hyper-V feature files.
Cowork's platform detection doesn't distinguish between:

1. Genuinely unsupported OS
2. Supported OS with missing virtualization features

Suggested Fix

1. Improve error detection to specify "Hyper-V features not found" instead of "unsupported platform"
2. Provide actionable remediation steps
3. Consider WSL2 as fallback virtualization backend for Cowork

Additional Context

This affects Windows developers who use lightweight OS variants. The system meets
all technical requirements for Cowork except Hyper-V feature availability.

What Should Happen?

Cowork should either:

1. Initialize successfully and allow normal operation, OR
2. Display a clear, actionable error message that specifically states:

• "Hyper-V virtualization features are not installed"
• "To fix this, please: (a) reinstall Windows 11 Pro from official Microsoft media,

or (b) restore Hyper-V features using DISM"

• Optionally suggest WSL2 as a fallback virtualization method

The platform detection should not report systems as "unsupported" when the actual
issue is missing optional virtualization features on an otherwise compatible OS.

Error Messages/Logs

**From cowork_vm_node.log:**

2026-01-23 08:42:39 [info] [cleanupVMBundleIfUnsupported] yukonSilver not supported (status=unsupported), checking for stale bundle...
2026-01-25 10:57:08 [error] [SwiftVM] Failed to load module: Error: Cannot find package 'C:\Users\user1\AppData\Local\AnthropicClaude\app-1.1.673\resources\app.asar\node_modules\@ant\claude-swift\js\index.js'


**From PowerShell:**

PS C:\Windows\system32> Get-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online | Where-Object {$_.FeatureName -like "*Hyper*"} | Select-Object FeatureName, State
# Returns: No results (features don't exist)

PS C:\Windows\system32> DISM /Online /Enable-Feature /FeatureName:Microsoft-Hyper-V-All /All
Error: 0x800f080c
Feature name Microsoft-Hyper-V-All is unknown.

Steps to Reproduce

1. Install Windows 11 Pro from official Microsoft media
2. Apply a system debloating script that removes Hyper-V features (e.g., MiniOS11,

O&O ShutUp++, or custom DISM commands)

1. Verify Intel VT-x is enabled in BIOS and WSL2 is installed:

   wsl --version
   # Verify output shows WSL2 is functional

1. Download and install Claude Desktop from https://claude.ai/download
2. Launch Claude Desktop
3. Click on the "Cowork" tab
4. Observe error message: "Feature enablement failed (exit code 1)"
5. Check logs at: %APPDATA%\Claude\logs\cowork_vm_node.log
6. Verify Hyper-V is missing:

   Get-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online | Where-Object {$_.FeatureName -like "*Hyper*"}
   # Returns: No results

Note: Hyper-V availability is the only variable that causes this issue.
All other system requirements (Win11 Pro, Intel VT-x, WSL2, RAM, CPU) are met.

Claude Model

None

Is this a regression?

No, this never worked

Last Working Version

_No response_

Claude Code Version

Claude Desktop v1.1.2321

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

Windows

Terminal/Shell

PowerShell

Additional Information

Logs attached:

• cowork_vm_node.log from C:\Users\user1\AppData\Local\AnthropicClaude\logs\

System Diagnostics:

• Intel VT-x: Enabled in BIOS ✅
• WSL2: v2.4.11.0 (working) ✅
• Hyper-V features: Missing (removed by MiniOS11 debloating) ❌
• DISM error: "Feature name Microsoft-Hyper-V-All is unknown"

Related Issue: This appears to affect users with lightweight Windows variants
(MiniOS, O&O ShutUp++, etc.) that remove Hyper-V to reduce disk footprint.

Workaround: Reinstall Windows 11 Pro cleanly from official Microsoft media
without applying debloating scripts.