[BUG] `claude remote-control` fails with 'bad option: --sdk-url' on Node.js v20 and v22
Resolved 💬 3 comments Opened Feb 25, 2026 by tuxxon Closed Feb 26, 2026
Bug Description
claude remote-control immediately fails with the error:
Session failed: /Users/<user>/.nvm/versions/node/v20.18.3/bin/node: bad option: --sdk-url session_<id>
It appears that when claude remote-control spawns a child process, --sdk-url is being passed as a Node.js runtime flag instead of as a script argument.
Steps to Reproduce
- Install Claude Code 2.1.56 via
npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code - Run
claude remote-controlfrom terminal
Expected Behavior
Remote Control session should start and display a session URL and QR code.
Actual Behavior
Session immediately fails with:
[21:32:59] Session failed: /Users/<user>/.nvm/versions/node/v20.18.3/bin/node: bad option: --sdk-url session_<id>
[21:32:59] To reconnect: claude --resume session_<id>
Environment
- Claude Code version: 2.1.56
- Node.js versions tested: v20.18.3, v22.21.1 (same error on both)
- OS: macOS Darwin 25.3.0
- Shell: zsh
- Subscription: Max plan
- Node manager: nvm
- Installation method:
npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
Notes
- Tested with both Node.js v20 (LTS) and v22 — same error on both versions.
- The
--sdk-urlflag is not a valid Node.js option, suggesting it's being passed to thenodebinary directly rather than as an argument to the Claude Code script. - Running
claudenormally (withoutremote-control) works fine.
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