[BUG]

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 Code process exited with code 126 on Windows, chat panel not working despite Git Bash being installed and CLAUDE_CODE_GIT_BASH_PATH set correctly. it also say im signed out at the bottom right corner even though i repeatedly signed in. I had just installed it today but it is already giving me an issue. I have been speaking to claude on the web and they've tried to help me out but still no resolve.

What Should Happen?

my chat panel should be working and i should be able to use it. I want to be able to work from the chat panel.

Error Messages/Logs

Error: Claude Code process exited with code 126
View output logs · Troubleshooting resources

Steps to Reproduce

Install Visual Studio Code on Windows 11 (64-bit, AMD64)
Install Git for Windows from https://git-scm.com/downloads/win (default settings)
Install Node.js LTS from https://nodejs.org/
Install Claude Code extension (v2.1.87) from the VS Code Marketplace
Install Claude Code CLI via PowerShell: npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
Set environment variable CLAUDE_CODE_GIT_BASH_PATH to C:\Program Files\Git\bin\bash.exe
Open VS Code and click the Claude Code icon in the left sidebar
Sign in with Claude.ai account
Click "+ New Session" in the Claude Code panel
Observe the error: "Error: Claude Code process exited with code 126" appears in the chat panel and no messages can be sent or received
Note: Running claude in the PowerShell terminal works correctly — only the VS Code chat panel is broken

Expected behavior: The Claude Code chat panel should connect and allow sending messages.
Actual behavior: Chat panel shows error code 126 and does not respond to any input, despite Claude working correctly in the terminal.
Environment:

OS: Windows 11, 64-bit (AMD64)
VS Code: latest
Claude Code extension: v2.1.87
Git Bash: installed at C:\Program Files\Git\bin\bash.exe
Node.js: v24.14.1

Claude Model

Sonnet (default)

Is this a regression?

Yes, this worked in a previous version

Last Working Version

_No response_

Claude Code Version

v2.1.87

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

Windows

Terminal/Shell

PowerShell

Additional Information

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