[Bug] RPC error: useradd failed when creating session directory in Cowork

Resolved 💬 5 comments Opened Apr 9, 2026 by utopica-dev Closed May 26, 2026

Bug Description
Hi Claude Support team,
I'm reaching out because Cowork has been completely unusable for me since approximately April 5–6, 2026, across two separate accounts.
Error message:
RPC error: ensure user: useradd failed: exit status 12: useradd: cannot create directory /sessions/...
Account details:

Account 1: Team plan
Account 2: Max Pro plan
Both accounts are affected simultaneously

Environment:

OS: macOS
Region: Mexico
Claude Desktop version: 1.1348.0 (efa3fd) — built 2026-04-08T15:06:08.000Z

What's happening:
Every single Cowork task fails immediately with the error above — new tasks, scheduled tasks, existing tasks, and past tasks. Cowork is completely unusable on both accounts.
What I've already tried (none resolved the issue):

Restarted the computer
Reinstalled Claude Desktop
Cleared cache (Help > Troubleshooting > Clear Cache and Restart)
Reset app data (Help > Troubleshooting > Reset App Data)

Additional context:
This appears to be a known infrastructure-side bug. I've also commented on the related GitHub issue #36465 (anthropics/claude-code), where other users report the same error going back several weeks, with recent activity from April 2–8, 2026. The issue is labeled bug / area:sandbox / platform:macOS by the Anthropic team.
Given that two accounts on different plan tiers are affected, this does not appear to be a local configuration issue. I'm requesting an update on the status of this bug and an estimated resolution time.
Thank you.

Environment Info

  • Platform: darwin
  • Terminal: Apple_Terminal
  • Version: 2.1.97
  • Feedback ID: 8b7ac200-9ff9-47b6-8032-6eb87f0a86bc

Errors

[{"error":"Error: Plugin MCP server error - mcp-config-invalid: MCP server github invalid: Missing environment variables: GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN\n    at XwH (/$bunfs/root/src/entrypoints/cli.js:1465:34314)\n    at processTicksAndRejections (native:7:39)","timestamp":"2026-04-09T00:19:40.187Z"},{"error":"Error: Plugin MCP server error - mcp-config-invalid: MCP server github invalid: Missing environment variables: GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN\n    at XwH (/$bunfs/root/src/entrypoints/cli.js:1465:34314)\n    at async Z (/$bunfs/root/src/entrypoints/cli.js:5857:11053)\n    at processTicksAndRejections (native:7:39)","timestamp":"2026-04-09T00:19:42.612Z"},{"error":"Error: Plugin MCP server error - mcp-config-invalid: MCP server github invalid: Missing environment variables: GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN\n    at XwH (/$bunfs/root/src/entrypoints/cli.js:1465:34314)\n    at async W (/$bunfs/root/src/entrypoints/cli.js:5857:10283)\n    at processTicksAndRejections (native:7:39)","timestamp":"2026-04-09T00:19:42.613Z"}]

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