Cowork tab not visible in Claude Desktop v1.1.7714.0 — VM starts successfully, service running (Windows 11 Pro x64)

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?

Cowork tab not visible in Claude Desktop v1.1.7714.0 on Windows 11 Pro x64. CoworkVMService is running. VM boots successfully (confirmed in cowork_vm_node.log — startup complete in 65s, API reachable, SDK installed). Hyper-V, VMP, and WHP all enabled. Pro annual plan. The Cowork tab simply does not appear in the UI.

What Should Happen?

The Cowork tab does not appear anywhere in the Claude Desktop UI on Windows 11 Pro x64. Only "Chat" mode is available in the sidebar (Chats, Projects, Artifacts, Code). There is no mode selector, no "Cowork" or "Tasks" tab — it simply does not exist in the interface.
However, the backend is fully functional:

CoworkVMService is running
The VM boots successfully (startup complete in ~66 seconds)
Network is connected, API is reachable, SDK is installed
All virtualization features are enabled and working

This appears to be a UI/feature flag issue, not a virtualization or VM problem.
Environment

Claude Desktop: v1.1.7714.0 (MSIX package)
OS: Windows 11 Pro x64
Plan: Pro (Annual)
Hyper-V: Enabled (Management Tools + Platform)
Virtual Machine Platform: Enabled
Windows Hypervisor Platform: Enabled
CoworkVMService: Running

Error Messages/Logs

Steps to Reproduce

Steps to Reproduce

Install Claude Desktop v1.1.7714.0 from claude.ai/download on Windows 11 Pro x64
Confirm all virtualization features are enabled (Hyper-V, VMP, WHP)
Confirm CoworkVMService is running
Launch Claude Desktop
Observe: Only "Chat" mode is available. No "Cowork" tab anywhere in the UI.
Check cowork_vm_node.log — VM boots successfully with no errors.

Expected Behavior
The Cowork tab should appear next to "Chat" in the mode selector, allowing access to the Cowork workspace. The VM is already running and ready.
Actual Behavior
The Cowork tab is completely absent from the UI. The feature flag does not appear to be reaching the client despite the VM infrastructure being fully operational.
What I've tried

Fresh reinstall of Claude Desktop
Clearing cache
Stopping and restarting CoworkVMService
Verifying all virtualization features
Checking Settings for any Cowork toggle (none exists)
Logging out and back in

Claude Model

Opus

Is this a regression?

Yes, this worked in a previous version

Last Working Version

_No response_

Claude Code Version

Claude Desktop: v1.1.7714.0 (MSIX package)

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

Windows

Terminal/Shell

Windows Terminal

Additional Information

Evidence: VM boots successfully
Contents of cowork_vm_node.log:
2026-03-21 14:51:38 [info] [Bundle:status] rootfs.vhdx missing
2026-03-21 14:52:21 [info] rootfs.vhdx not found, downloading...
2026-03-21 14:53:12 [info] rootfs.vhdx.zst checksum validated
2026-03-21 14:53:13 [info] vmlinuz.zst checksum validated
2026-03-21 14:53:16 [info] initrd.zst checksum validated
2026-03-21 14:53:16 [info] All files ready
2026-03-21 14:53:16 [info] [VM:steps] create_vm_config completed (127ms)
2026-03-21 14:53:18 [info] [VM:steps] vm_boot completed (1426ms)
2026-03-21 14:53:26 [info] [VM] Network status: CONNECTED
2026-03-21 14:53:26 [info] [VM] API reachability: REACHABLE
2026-03-21 14:53:28 [info] [VM:steps] sdk_install completed (2211ms)
2026-03-21 14:53:28 [info] [VM:start] Startup complete, total time: 65801ms
PowerShell verification
powershellPS> Get-Service CoworkVMService
Status Name DisplayName
------ ---- -----------
Running CoworkVMService Claude

PS> Get-AppxPackage -Name "Claude*" | Select Name, Version, InstallLocation
Name Version InstallLocation
---- ------- ---------------
Claude 1.1.7714.0 C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\Claude_1.1.7714.0_x64__pzs8sxrjxfjjc