[BUG] IDE integration fails with "workspace directories do not match" error despite identical paths
## Environment
- Platform (select one):
- [x] Anthropic API
- [ ] AWS Bedrock
- [ ] Google Vertex AI
- [ ] Other: <!-- specify -->
- Claude CLI version: 1.0.60 (Claude Code)
- Operating System: macOS (Darwin 26.0)
- Terminal: VS Code integrated terminal
## Bug Description
The /ide command fails to connect to Windsurf IDE, reporting that workspace directories don't match even though the displayed paths are identical. The error message shows both paths as
/Users/<x>/Documents/GitHub/<xx> but still claims they don't match.
## Steps to Reproduce
- Open Windsurf IDE with a project at
/Users/<x>/Documents/GitHub/<xx> - Ensure Claude Code extension is installed and running in Windsurf
- Navigate to the same directory in terminal:
cd /Users/<x>/Documents/GitHub/<xx> - Run
/idecommand - Observe the error message showing identical paths but claiming they don't match
Connect to an IDE for integrated development features. │
│ │
│ No available IDEs detected. Make sure your IDE has the Claude Code extension or plugin installed and is running. │
│ │
│ Found 1 other running IDE(s). However, their workspace/project directories do not match the current cwd. │
│ │
│ • Windsurf: /Users/<x>/Documents/GitHub/<xx>
## Expected Behavior
When the current working directory matches the IDE's workspace directory, the IDE integration should connect successfully without any errors.
## Actual Behavior
The command reports:
Found 1 other running IDE(s). However, their workspace/project directories do not match the current cwd.
• Windsurf: /Users/<x>/Documents/GitHub/<xx>
Despite the current working directory also being /Users/<x>/Documents/GitHub/<xx>.
## Additional Context
- Verified paths are identical using
pwd -Pandrealpathcommands - Both paths resolve to:
/Users/<x>/Documents/GitHub/<xx> - No symbolic links are involved in the path
- Restarting Windsurf does not resolve the issue
- The paths appear visually identical in the error output
- This appears to be a path comparison logic issue in the IDE detection code
3 Comments
I have the same issue on macos. I found that claude ide always uses the full path to the folder/workspace /Users/ranjit/DEV but vscode ide always used the home dir based path ~/DEV. I tried several ways to align them by forcing various path names explicitly, but the mismatch persisted. I finally used claude vscode extension and then opened it up as I would in my cli and the /ide command worked ok. I now prefer running inside vscode vs the command line because of the extra features. I hope this helps with Windsurf - i use that as well in vscode but not directly integrated with claude. Good luck.
I had this same problem in VSCode on MacOS. VSCode and the claude package and the VSCode Claude extension were up to date.
The claude package was at
1.0.63.Then I went out to a terminal and did:
Then exited and re-opened VSCode, and now it is working, even though the version it installed was
1.0.63, which is the same as was already there.This issue has been automatically locked since it was closed and has not had any activity for 7 days. If you're experiencing a similar issue, please file a new issue and reference this one if it's relevant.