[BUG] Claude code with version > 2.1.29 exits immediately when run in non-git directory

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 version 2.1.39 crashes immediately when run in a directory that is not a git repository, while version 2.1.29 works correctly in the same scenario.

Environment

• OS: Linux 4.18.0-553.104.1.el8_10.x86_64
• Broken version: 2.1.39
• Working version: 2.1.29
• Installation method: native

What Should Happen?

1. Create a git directory: mkdir ~/test_with_git && cd ~/test_with_git && git init
2. Run: claude
3. Result: Works fine

Error Messages/Logs

Steps to Reproduce

1. Create a non-git directory: mkdir ~/test_no_git && cd ~/test_no_git
2. Run: claude
3. Expected: Claude Code starts normally
4. Actual: Process crashes immediately with no error message

Claude Model

Sonnet (default)

Is this a regression?

Yes, this worked in a previous version

Last Working Version

2.1.29

Claude Code Version

2.1.39

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

Other Linux

Terminal/Shell

Other

Additional Information

Root Cause Analysis

Using strace to trace system calls, we identified that v2.1.39 removed pre-flight git safety checks that v2.1.29 had:

Version 2.1.29 (Working)

1. git rev-parse --is-inside-work-tree  # Checks if in git repo
2. git remote get-url origin            # Checks if origin exists
3. git worktree list                    # Lists worktrees
4. git pull origin HEAD                 # Only runs if checks pass

Version 2.1.39 (Broken)

1. git pull origin HEAD                 # NO pre-flight checks - fails with exit 128

When git pull runs in a non-git directory, it fails with exit code 128:

fatal: not a git repository (or any parent up to mount point /)

The error handling for this failure causes the process to crash.

Impact

Users cannot use Claude Code in:

• New projects before running git init
• Non-code directories
• Any directory tree without git

Suggested Fix

Re-add the pre-flight check from v2.1.29:

git rev-parse --is-inside-work-tree 2>/dev/null

Or handle git exit code 128 gracefully instead of crashing.