[BUG] Claude Code in Claude Desktop fails to work with local projects (macos)

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?

What's Wrong?
Bug Report: Claude Code in Claude Desktop - Failed to Load Session (Local Sessions)
Summary

Claude Code in Claude Desktop fails to work with local projects. Sessions get stuck on "Starting Claude..." or "Failed to load session". The issue is specific to local file access - GitHub integration via web works fine, and CLI version works fine.
Environment

Platform: macOS (Darwin)
Device: MacBook Pro
Claude Desktop: Reinstalled fresh on 2026-01-26
Claude Code CLI: v2.1.19 (works correctly)
Account: Claude Max subscription

Problem Description

Opening Claude Code in Claude Desktop and connecting to a local folder
Asking any question results in endless "thinking" state
Asking additional questions triggers "Failed to load session" error
Even the simplest prompts do not work
"Downloading dependencies" gets stuck indefinitely

What works:

Claude Desktop (regular chat) - ✅ Works
Claude Code via web browser (claude.ai/code) - ✅ Works
Claude Code with GitHub integration - ✅ Works
Claude Code CLI locally - ✅ Works

What doesn't work:

Claude Code in Desktop app with local folders - ❌ Fails

Error from Logs

~/Library/Logs/Claude/main.log:

2026-01-26 19:02:38 [error] [LocalSessionManager] Error getting git diff: Error: /Applications/Claude.app/Contents/Helpers/disclaimer exited with code 128: fatal: Unable to read current working directory: Operation not permitted

2026-01-26 19:02:38 [error] Session local_4168b3d9-579e-4899-b8cd-43ca82fcaa33 query error: Claude Code process exited with code 1

Troubleshooting Steps Attempted

1. Basic Restart

Restarted Claude Desktop multiple times
Result: ❌ No change

1. Kill All Processes

pkill -f Claude

Result: ❌ No change

1. Clear Session Storage

rm -rf ~/Library/Application\ Support/Claude/Session\ Storage/
rm -rf ~/Library/Application\ Support/Claude/claude-code-sessions/
rm -rf ~/Library/Application\ Support/Claude/local-agent-mode-sessions/

Result: ❌ No change

1. Clear All App Data

rm -rf ~/Library/Application\ Support/Claude/

Result: ❌ No change

1. Complete Reinstall

Deleted ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/
Moved Claude.app to trash
Downloaded fresh from claude.ai/download
Reinstalled
Result: ❌ No change

1. Network Tests

curl -I https://api.anthropic.com

Result: HTTP/2 404 (expected)

curl -I https://statsig.anthropic.com

Result: HTTP/2 403

No VPN in use
Regular internet works fine

1. macOS Permissions

Checked Files & Folders permissions - Claude had access
Added Claude to Full Disk Access
Restarted app after permission changes
Result: ❌ No change

1. Clear VM Bundle

rm -rf ~/Library/Application\ Support/Claude/claude-code-vm/

Result: ❌ App stuck on "Downloading dependencies"

1. CLI Test

cd ~/Documents/ai\ projekt
claude

Result: ✅ Works perfectly - can ask questions and work with local files

Observations

Multiple "claude" entries in macOS Files & Folders permissions (CLI versions + Desktop)
Status page shows "Increased rate of errors for Opus 4.5" incident on 2026-01-25
Log error specifically mentions "Operation not permitted" for git operations
The issue persists despite Full Disk Access being granted

Suspected Cause

The Claude Desktop app cannot access local directories for git operations, despite having:

Files & Folders permissions
Full Disk Access

The error "Operation not permitted" suggests a deeper macOS sandboxing or entitlement issue within the Electron app that is not present in the CLI version.
Workaround

Use Claude Code CLI instead:

claude

This works correctly with local files.
Request

Please investigate:

Why the Desktop app cannot perform git operations locally while CLI can
The "Downloading dependencies" stuck state after clearing claude-code-vm
Potential macOS sandboxing/entitlement issues in the Electron app

Additional Info

User location: Helsingborg, Sweden
Date: 2026-01-26
Willing to provide additional logs or information if needed

What Should Happen?

Claude code should respond to my questions
Error Messages/Logs

Steps to Reproduce

se above
Claude Model

Opus
Is this a regression?

Yes, this worked in a previous version
Last Working Version

latest version
Claude Code Version

latest version
Platform

Other
Operating System

macOS
Terminal/Shell

Other
Additional Information

No response``

What Should Happen?

Claude code should respond to my questions

Error Messages/Logs

2026-04-01 23:51:46 [error] [REACT_QUERY_CLIENT] QueryClient error: Error: Not found
2026-04-01 23:51:48 [warn] ProseMirror expects the CSS white-space property to be set, preferably to 'pre-wrap'. It is recommended to load style/prosemirror.css from the prosemirror-view package.
2026-04-01 23:55:32 [error] [LOCAL_SESSION] Failed to send message [object Object]
2026-04-01 23:56:34 [error] [LOCAL_SESSION] Failed to send message [object Object]

Steps to Reproduce

see above

Claude Model

Sonnet (default)

Is this a regression?

Yes, this worked in a previous version

Last Working Version

_No response_

Claude Code Version

Claude 1.2.234 (2d1855) 2026-04-01T07:58:22.000Z

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

macOS

Terminal/Shell

Terminal.app (macOS)

Additional Information

_No response_