## Bug Description Claude Cowork sessions consistently fail to start with the following error: ``` RPC error: ensure user: useradd failed: exit status 12: useradd: cannot create directory /sessions/blissful-exciting-bell ``` ## Details - **Started:** April 4, 2026 - **Frequency:** Every attempt, persistent (not transient) - **Platform:** macOS (Darwin 25.4.0) - **Install method:** Native + npm - **Claude Code version:** Latest (updated April 5, 2026) - **GitHub account:** khary-ai ## Expect

Cowork: persistent 'useradd failed: exit status 12: cannot create directory /sessions/' error

Status Closed — duplicate

Maintainer reply None cached

Activity 3 comments · opened Apr 5, 2026 · closed Apr 9, 2026

Bug Description

Claude Cowork sessions consistently fail to start with the following error:

RPC error: ensure user: useradd failed: exit status 12: useradd: cannot create directory /sessions/blissful-exciting-bell

Details

Started: April 4, 2026
Frequency: Every attempt, persistent (not transient)
Platform: macOS (Darwin 25.4.0)
Install method: Native + npm
Claude Code version: Latest (updated April 5, 2026)
GitHub account: khary-ai

Expected Behavior

Cowork session should provision successfully and create the session directory under /sessions/.

Actual Behavior

useradd fails with exit status 12 ("cannot create home directory"), suggesting the /sessions/ directory on the server node is missing, full, or has incorrect permissions.

Reproduction

Attempting to start any Cowork session triggers this error consistently. Multiple retries over 24+ hours have not resolved it, suggesting a persistent infrastructure issue rather than a transient failure.

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