Cowork tab fails to start when macOS home directory is on external SSD

Description

The Cowork tab fails to start with the error "Failed to start Claude's workspace" when the macOS user home directory (NFSHomeDirectory) is set to an external SSD volume (/Volumes/...) instead of the default /Users/<username>.

Error

The VM workspace reports:

SDK version 2.1.64 not verified at /mnt/.virtiofs-root/shared/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude-code-vm/2.1.64/.verified

The .verified file exists on the host at ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude-code-vm/2.1.64/.verified, but the VM cannot find it. This suggests the virtiofs share is not correctly mapping to the actual home directory on the external volume.

Environment

• macOS: 26.4 (Build 25E5233c)
• Hardware: Mac mini, Apple M4 Pro, 48GB RAM
• Claude Desktop SDK version: 2.1.64
• Home directory: /Volumes/TKR02ex/hanseonk (external Thunderbolt SSD)
• NFSHomeDirectory: Set to /Volumes/TKR02ex/hanseonk via dscl
• /Users/hanseonk exists as a minimal default macOS home (not the active home)

Steps to Reproduce

1. Set macOS user home directory to an external SSD volume (e.g., /Volumes/TKR02ex/hanseonk)
2. Open Claude Desktop
3. Click the Cowork tab
4. Cowork fails to start with the error above

Expected Behavior

Cowork should start normally regardless of whether the home directory is on an internal or external volume.

Additional Context

• Chat and Code tabs work normally
• Reinstalling Claude Desktop does not resolve the issue
• The issue persists across multiple reinstalls
• The VM appears to use Apple Virtualization framework with virtiofs to share the host filesystem, which may not correctly handle home directories on external volumes