Chrome integration: MCP server does not connect to browser bridge socket

Description

claude --chrome starts correctly and the chrome MCP tools appear in the tool list, but mcp__claude-in-chrome__tabs_context_mcp always returns "Browser extension is not connected." The internal MCP server never connects to the bridge socket created by the native host.

Environment

• Claude Code version: 2.1.72
• OS: macOS Darwin 25.2.0 (Apple Silicon)
• Chrome extension: installed, authenticated, browserControlPermissionAccepted: true
• Node: v22.20.0

Diagnostic Findings

1. Native messaging works — chrome.runtime.sendNativeMessage("com.anthropic.claude_code_browser_extension", {type: "ping"}) returns {type: "pong"} successfully from the extension service worker console.

1. Native host spawns correctly — When using the com.anthropic.claude_code_browser_extension manifest, the native host runs via Claude Code path:

``
node .../@anthropic-ai/claude-code/cli.js --chrome-native-host
``

1. Bridge socket is created — The native host creates a Unix socket at /tmp/claude-mcp-browser-bridge-<user>/<pid>.sock

1. Claude Code never connects — lsof -U | grep claude-mcp-browser only shows the native host process listening on the socket. No Claude Code node process connects to it as a client.

1. Both --chrome and fresh sessions tested — Tried claude --chrome with new sessions (not resumed). Same result.

Additional Context

• Had to rename com.anthropic.claude_browser_extension.json (Claude Desktop manifest) to .bak because Chrome preferentially spawns Claude Desktop native host instead of Claude Code's. After renaming, the correct native host spawns but the connection still fails.
• The Chrome extension storage shows valid accessToken, refreshToken, bridgeDeviceId, and chrome_ext_bridge_enabled: true.

Steps to Reproduce

1. Install Claude browser extension in Chrome
2. Ensure logged into claude.ai with same account
3. Run claude --chrome
4. Call mcp__claude-in-chrome__tabs_context_mcp — always returns "Browser extension is not connected"

Expected Behavior

Claude Code MCP server should connect to the bridge socket and successfully communicate with the Chrome extension.