Chrome extension steals system-wide focus on every tool interaction (macOS)

Problem

The Claude-in-Chrome extension steals system-wide focus on every tool call (computer screenshot, click, scroll, navigate, etc.). Not just switching Chrome tabs, but yanking the entire macOS focus to Chrome from whatever application the user is in.

Environment

• macOS Darwin 25.3.0
• Claude Code CLI (tested across native host versions 2.1.83, 2.1.84, 2.1.85)
• Chrome (version unknown, may have auto-updated recently)
• Claude-in-Chrome extension (version unknown, may have auto-updated)

Key Details

• This is new behavior. User has hundreds of hours of Chrome extension usage across months without this happening. Started mid-session on 2026-03-25.
• System-wide, not just Chrome. If user is in Terminal, VS Code, or any other app, Chrome jumps to foreground on every tool call.
• Not the native host version. Tested by rolling back native host from 2.1.85 to 2.1.83. Focus stealing persists on both versions. The cause is in the Chrome extension or Chrome browser itself.
• User regularly runs 5-6 concurrent Claude Code sessions with Chrome tabs, so this is severely disruptive to their workflow.
• Possibly related to a Chrome or extension auto-update that happened around the same time.

Expected Behavior

Tool calls should interact with tabs without stealing system-wide focus. This worked correctly for hundreds of hours prior to 2026-03-25.

Related Issues

• #31119 (closed as dup) - requested active: false parameter for background tab creation
• #25564 - tab close capability (related but different)

Workaround

Using a separate macOS desktop/Space for Chrome reduces the visual disruption but doesn't fix the underlying focus steal.

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