[BUG] Claude in Chrome doesn't connect when Claude Desktop is also installed

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?

• "Claude in Chrome doesn't connect when Claude Desktop is also installed"
• The bridge (tengu_copper_bridge) may need to be enabled for your account
• Chrome 145, extension v1.0.59, Claude Code 2.1.74, macOS

What Should Happen?

Both Claude Desktop and Claude Code should be able to use the Chrome extension simultaneously, or
at minimum, Claude Code's /chrome should connect when Desktop is installed.

Error Messages/Logs

Steps to Reproduce

1. Have both Claude Desktop and Claude Code installed
2. Install the Claude Chrome extension from the Web Store
3. Start Claude Code with claude --chrome
4. Run /chrome or call any mcp__claude-in-chrome__* tool
5. Observe: "Browser extension is not connected"

Claude Model

Opus

Is this a regression?

Yes, this worked in a previous version

Last Working Version

_No response_

Claude Code Version

2.1.74 (Claude Code)

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

macOS

Terminal/Shell

Terminal.app (macOS)

Additional Information

Environment:

• Claude Code: 2.1.74
• Claude Desktop: 1.1.6041
• Chrome Extension: 1.0.59
• Chrome: 145.0.7632.160
• macOS 26.4 (arm64)

Steps to reproduce:

1. Have both Claude Desktop and Claude Code installed
2. Install the Claude Chrome extension from the Web Store
3. Start Claude Code with claude --chrome
4. Run /chrome or call any mcp__claude-in-chrome__* tool
5. Observe: "Browser extension is not connected"

Root cause (from debugging):
The Chrome extension tries native messaging hosts in order: com.anthropic.claude_browser_extension (Desktop) first,
then com.anthropic.claude_code_browser_extension (Code). Desktop's host responds to the ping first and wins the
connection. The Desktop native host (/Applications/Claude.app/Contents/Helpers/chrome-native-host) creates a Unix
socket at /tmp/claude-mcp-browser-bridge-{user}/{pid}.sock, but Claude Code cannot use this socket — the protocol
differs from what Claude Code expects.

The WebSocket bridge (wss://bridge.claudeusercontent.com) would allow both to coexist, but it's gated behind the
tengu_copper_bridge feature flag which does not appear to be enabled.

Workaround:
Rename the Desktop native messaging host config to let the extension fall through to Claude Code's host:
mv ~/Library/Application\ Support/Google/Chrome/NativeMessagingHosts/com.anthropic.claude_browser_extension.json \
~/Library/Application\ Support/Google/Chrome/NativeMessagingHosts/com.anthropic.claude_browser_extension.json.off
Then restart Chrome. This breaks Desktop's Chrome integration.

Expected behavior: Both Claude Desktop and Claude Code should be able to use the Chrome extension simultaneously, or
at minimum, Claude Code's /chrome should connect when Desktop is installed.