Memory leak: ArrayBuffers grow at ~23GB/hour, 6GB in under 5 minutes on Windows

Description

Claude Code exhibits a severe memory leak on fresh sessions. Memory usage hits 6GB within ~4 minutes of starting, even with no active work being done. The leak is in ArrayBuffers/external memory.

Diagnostics

From /heapdump diagnostics (attached):

• arrayBuffers: 6.05 GB (the culprit)
• external: 6.6 GB
• heapUsed: 6.7 GB
• Growth rate: ~23,640 MB/hour (~6.8 MB/second)
• Uptime at capture: 244 seconds (~4 minutes)
• RSS: 1.68 GB

Environment

• Claude Code version: 2.1.73 (updated to 2.1.74, issue persists)
• Platform: Windows 11 Pro 10.0.26200
• Node.js: v24.3.0
• MCP servers: Playwright MCP was running

Steps to Reproduce

1. Start a new Claude Code session
2. Observe memory usage rising immediately in the status bar
3. Run /heapdump to confirm

Expected Behavior

Memory should remain stable when idle.

Actual Behavior

Memory grows at ~6.8 MB/second continuously, driven by ArrayBuffer accumulation. The high memory warning (6GB) appears within minutes of starting a session.