[BUG] Desktop app (Windows + macOS): new chat session repo selector is locked to last interacted-with repo and is unresponsive — Android unaffected

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?

On the Claude Code Desktop app (Windows and macOS), starting a new chat session
always pre-selects the most recently interacted-with GitHub repository. The repo
selector button is unresponsive to clicks and the branch selector shows no
branches, providing no UI path to select a different repository.

The Android app correctly presents a functional repo picker on new session start
on the same account.

What Should Happen?

When starting a new chat session, the Desktop app should present the GitHub repo
selector UI, allowing the user to select any authorized repository before the
session initializes — identical to the behavior currently working correctly in
the Android app.

The previous session's repo selection should not persist or pre-populate into a
new session without user confirmation. Each new session should begin with a clean
repo selection state, with the branch selector populating based on whichever repo
is chosen.

Error Messages/Logs

Steps to Reproduce

1. Open the Claude Code Desktop app (Windows or macOS)
2. Start a new chat session — note the GitHub repo that is pre-selected
3. Start another new chat session via "+ New session" without interacting

with the previous session

Observe:

• Repo selector displays the same repository as the previous session
• Clicking the repo selector produces no response — picker does not open
• Branch selector is non-functional and shows no available branches

Claude Model

Sonnet (default)

Is this a regression?

Yes, this worked in a previous version

Last Working Version

_No response_

Claude Code Version

Claude 1.1.5368 (d12d02) 2026-03-05T17:29:33.000Z

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

macOS

Terminal/Shell

Terminal.app (macOS)

Additional Information

• The locked repo is not simply the last opened session's repo — it is the

most recently interacted with repo on that device. On macOS, the locked
repo was last interacted with several days prior; more recently opened
sessions using a different repo did not update the pre-selected value.

• This suggests the Desktop app persists a "last used repo" value on

interaction, which is then incorrectly used to lock the repo selector on
all subsequent new sessions with no UI override available.

• No error is displayed — the UI appears functional but is silently unresponsive.
• Persists across app restarts and logout/login on Desktop.
• This is NOT a permissions issue — repos are authorized and selectable on

Android on the same account.

• Affects both Windows and macOS Desktop builds, suggesting the issue is in

shared Desktop client code.

• Related to #11659 but distinct — that issue covers web session persistence;

this is the native Desktop app with Android as a confirmed working baseline.

Platform matrix:
| Platform | Repo picker on new session? |
|------------------|-----------------------------|
| Desktop (Windows)| ❌ Locked — unresponsive |
| Desktop (macOS) | ❌ Locked — unresponsive |
| Android app | ✅ Works correctly |