[BUG] Cowork Chrome bridge permanently shows "Check your Claude in Chrome account" — server-side stale state, all client-side fixes exhausted

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?

Platform: Windows 11, Claude Desktop latest, Chrome extension v1.0.62
Account: (your email)

Problem: Persistent "Check your Claude in Chrome account" dialog.
Bridge never connects despite correct setup on all sides.

All client-side fixes already attempted:

• [ ] Reinstalled extension 3x
• [ ] Signed out/in on both sides multiple times
• [ ] Cleared extension local storage (Local Extension Settings folder)
• [ ] Cleared service workers
• [ ] Restarted in correct order (Desktop first, Chrome second)
• [ ] Tried multiple new Cowork sessions
• [ ] Toggled Claude in Chrome connector off/on
• [ ] Verified native host is running (chrome-native-host.exe, PID confirmed)
• [ ] Verified registry entry correct (HKCU\SOFTWARE\Google\Chrome\NativeMessagingHosts)
• [ ] Verified native host JSON and exe path both correct

Evidence this is server-side:
Native host runs, extension is signed in, connector is enabled, accounts match —
but bridge still rejects. Matches exactly: #27055 and #32011.

Request: Please reset the bridge/channel state server-side for my account.
I am a paying Pro user and have lost an entire day of work to this.

Related issues: #27055, #32011, #25736, #33483

What Should Happen?

When both the Claude Desktop app (Cowork) and the Claude in Chrome extension are signed into the same account, the bridge connection should establish automatically without any manual intervention. The "Check your Claude in Chrome account" dialog should not appear when accounts match. If a server-side token becomes stale, the system should auto-refresh it silently rather than entering a permanent failure loop that no client-side action can resolve. At minimum, there should be a manual "Force reconnect / reset bridge" button in the Desktop app settings so users can self-serve without requiring Anthropic to intervene server-side.

Error Messages/Logs

Desktop app dialog (persistent, appears on every connection attempt):
"Check your Claude in Chrome account
The Chrome extension needs to be signed in with the same account 
as Claude Desktop. Open the extension, sign in if needed, and make 
sure the accounts match. If you've just installed the extension, 
try restarting Chrome."

Note: Both apps ARE signed into the same account. This dialog 
appears regardless.

Steps to Reproduce

1. Install Claude Desktop (Cowork) on Windows 11
2. Install Claude in Chrome extension (v1.0.62)
3. Sign into both with the same account
4. Enable Claude in Chrome in Desktop Settings → Connectors
5. Open a Cowork session and attempt any browser automation task
6. Desktop app shows "Check your Claude in Chrome account" dialog
7. Click "Open Extension Settings" — extension IS signed in with correct account
8. Dismiss dialog and retry — same dialog reappears every time
9. No combination of restarting, reinstalling, or clearing fixes it

Claude Model

Opus

Is this a regression?

No, this never worked

Last Working Version

1.0.62

Claude Code Version

Claude Desktop (Cowork) — latest auto-updated version (March 2026) Chrome extension v1.0.62

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

Windows

Terminal/Shell

PowerShell

Additional Information

VERIFIED DIAGNOSTICS:

Registry: HKCU\SOFTWARE\Google\Chrome\NativeMessagingHosts\com.anthropic.claude_browser_extension
→ Points to correct JSON manifest path

Native host manifest confirmed correct:

• name: com.anthropic.claude_browser_extension
• path: chrome-native-host.exe (Test-Path = True)
• allowed_origins includes extension ID fcoeoabgfenejglbffodgkkbkcdhcgfn
• No competing claude_code_browser_extension entry

Process confirmed: chrome-native-host (PID 432) running

Desktop app: Connectors → Claude in Chrome = Enabled

REQUEST: Please reset the bridge/channel state server-side for
akashubertrips@gmail.com. This is a server-side issue per #27055.