Claude Desktop (macOS) freezing and hanging with Cowork mode — 9.3GB VM bundle

Description

Claude Desktop app repeatedly freezes and becomes unresponsive during normal use with Cowork mode enabled. The app hangs requiring force-quit, and the issue persists after clearing all caches.

Environment

• OS: macOS 15.6 (Build 24G84)
• Hardware: MacBook Air M4, 16GB RAM
• Claude Desktop: Latest version (as of March 8, 2026)
• Cowork mode: Enabled with scheduled tasks

Steps to Reproduce

1. Open Claude Desktop with Cowork mode enabled
2. Use the app normally
3. App freezes/hangs after a short period of use

What I've Tried

• Cleared ~/Library/Caches/claude-desktop/
• Cleared ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/Cache, GPUCache, Session Storage, blob_storage
• Force-quit and relaunched multiple times
• None of the above resolved the issue

Observations

• VM bundle size is 9.3GB (~/Library/Application Support/Claude/vm_bundles/) — this appears related to issue #26646
• No MCP servers configured
• Config had coworkScheduledTasksEnabled and ccdScheduledTasksEnabled both set to true
• Disabling scheduled tasks as a potential workaround, but the bloated VM bundle likely needs to be addressed

Related Issues

• #26646 — Claude Desktop Cowork: Freezing, API 500 errors, and 12GB VM bundle causing instability on macOS

Expected Behavior

Claude Desktop should remain responsive during normal use without freezing.