[BUG] Windows 10 native installer does not add .local\bin to PATH — claude not recognized after successful install (v2.1.89)

Preflight Checklist

• [x] This is a single bug report (please file separate reports for different bugs)
• [x] I am using the latest version of Claude Code
• [x] I have searched existing issues and this hasn't been reported yet

What's Wrong?

The native PowerShell installer completes successfully and reports "Installation complete!" but does not add the installation directory to the user PATH. The claude command fails immediately after with CommandNotFoundException. The installer detects this condition itself — it prints a yellow warning — but only points to the System Properties GUI instead of providing a terminal fix. In 2026, a CLI installer that detects a broken state and leaves the user to resolve it manually is an unfinished installer.

Environment:

• OS: Windows 10
• Terminal: PowerShell (Admin)
• Claude Code version after fix: 2.1.89
• Installation method: irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex

What Should Happen?

One of the following:

1. The installer automatically calls SetEnvironmentVariable to add C:\Users\<username>\.local\bin to the user PATH when it detects the folder is missing — so claude works immediately after installation without any manual intervention.

1. If the installer cannot modify PATH automatically, it prints the exact PowerShell fix command as a copy-paste line in the terminal output, not a pointer to the System Properties GUI.

The installer already detects the broken state. The fix should happen in the same step. The gap between detecting the problem and leaving the user to resolve it manually is where people abandon the installation — not because they can't fix it, but because they shouldn't have to.

Error Messages/Logs

claude : The term 'claude' is not recognized as the name of a cmdlet, function,
script file, or operable program. Check the spelling of the name, or if a path
was included, verify that the path is correct and try again.
At line:1 char:1
+ claude --version
+ ~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : ObjectNotFound: (claude:String) [], CommandNotFoundException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : CommandNotFoundException

Steps to Reproduce

1. Open PowerShell as Administrator on Windows 10
2. Run: irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex
3. Installer reports "Installation complete!" with no errors
4. Run: claude --version
5. Observe CommandNotFoundException

What fixed it:

Step 1 — locate the binary:
Get-ChildItem -Path "$env:USERPROFILE\.local\bin", "$env:APPDATA\npm" -Filter "claude*" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Select-Object FullName

Returned: C:\Users\user\.local\bin\claude.exe
The file existed. The folder was simply not on PATH.

Step 2 — add to user PATH permanently:
[Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("PATH", "$env:PATH;$env:USERPROFILE\.local\bin", [EnvironmentVariableTarget]::User)

Opened a new PowerShell window. claude --version returned 2.1.89 (Claude Code).

Claude Model

Sonnet (default)

Is this a regression?

I don't know

Last Working Version

_No response_

Claude Code Version

2.1.89

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

Windows

Terminal/Shell

PowerShell

Additional Information

_No response_