Claude in Chrome MCP server never connects to socket (Doesnt Connect to Chrome)

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?

The "Claude in Chrome" MCP server never establishes a connection. The Chrome native host creates a socket and listens, but Claude Desktop never connects to it. The mcp.log file has zero "Claude in Chrome" entries.

Environment

• Claude Desktop v1.1.4328
• macOS Darwin 23.4.0
• Chrome with 8 profiles
• chromeExtensionEnabled: true in config

What we tried

1. Restarted Chrome completely (Cmd+Q)
2. Restarted Claude Desktop completely (Cmd+Q)
3. Restarted both together
4. Killed all chrome-native-host processes and restarted
5. Verified native messaging host config at NativeMessagingHosts/com.anthropic.claude_browser_extension.json — correct
6. Verified binary exists at /Applications/Claude.app/Contents/Helpers/chrome-native-host
7. Confirmed extension is installed and sidebar works standalone
8. Confirmed same account logged in on both Desktop and Chrome extension
9. Disabled and re-enabled the extension
10. Used switch_browser MCP command — still fails

Observations

• Socket is created at /tmp/claude-mcp-browser-bridge-<user>/37931.sock and native host is listening
• mcp.log only shows "Control your Mac" server — no "Claude in Chrome" entries at all
• The Chrome extension sidebar works fine as a standalone chat
• The MCP bridge between Desktop and Chrome is the broken link

What Should Happen?

Claude Desktop should connect to the Chrome native host socket and initialize the "Claude in Chrome" MCP server, allowing Claude Code to interact with the browser (take screenshots, click elements, navigate pages, etc.).

Error Messages/Logs

⚠️ Claude in Chrome Extension Disconnected

The connection to Claude in Chrome was lost.

To reconnect:
1. Login to the same account in Claude Desktop and Claude in Chrome
2. If that doesn't work, restart Chrome completely (close all windows)
3. If that doesn't work, also restart Claude Desktop

Steps to Reproduce

1. Open Chrome with the Claude in Chrome extension installed and enabled
2. Open Claude Desktop (v1.1.4328) with chromeExtensionEnabled: true in config
3. Start a new Claude Code conversation
4. Attempt to use any Claude in Chrome MCP tool (e.g., tabs_context_mcp)
5. Receive "Claude in Chrome Extension Disconnected" error every time
6. Check mcp.log — no "Claude in Chrome" entries exist, only "Control your Mac"
7. Check /tmp/claude-mcp-browser-bridge-<user>/ — socket file exists and native host is listening
8. Claude Desktop never attempts to connect to the socket

Claude Model

Opus

Is this a regression?

No, this never worked

Last Working Version

1.1.4328

Claude Code Version

1.1.4328

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

macOS

Terminal/Shell

Terminal.app (macOS)

Additional Information

_No response_