[BUG] need to install Claude Github app not working --> infinite loop

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?

Question about your own functionality... if I start a session from web on my machine then you spin up fine and can access the remote repo make PRs etc. But when I attempt to start from the app on my phone, I get an immediate "you need to install Claude Github app" message, which then appears to not succeed and I can't chat. What's going on?

This is a known friction point with Claude Code on the web when accessed from mobile devices. Here's what's likely happening:

The GitHub App OAuth flow is failing on mobile. When you start a session, Claude Code needs to verify that the Claude GitHub App is installed on the target repository. This involves an OAuth redirect flow through GitHub. On desktop browsers this completes seamlessly, but on mobile it can break because:

Redirect handling — Mobile browsers (and especially in-app webviews) often handle OAuth redirects differently. The callback from GitHub's app installation/authorization flow may not land back in the correct session context.

Cookie/session isolation — If you're opening claude.ai/code from a mobile app's embedded browser rather than your default mobile browser, the GitHub auth cookies from your desktop session won't be present, and the fresh OAuth flow may not complete properly in the constrained webview.

Pop-up blocking — Some mobile browsers block the pop-up or redirect needed to complete the GitHub App installation flow, causing it to silently fail.

What to try:

Open claude.ai/code in your phone's default browser (Safari/Chrome) rather than any in-app browser
Make sure you're logged into GitHub in that same browser
If it still fails, try "Desktop mode" / "Request Desktop Site" in your mobile browser settings
If none of that works, this is likely a platform bug worth reporting. File it at:
https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code/issues

Include your mobile OS, browser, and whether the GitHub App is already installed on the repo (since it works from desktop, it should be). That'll help the team reproduce and fix the mobile OAuth flow.

1 step
1 step
ok that works on web on mobile but mobile app still behaving the same

Got it — so the mobile browser works now (good), but the Claude mobile app (iOS/Android) still fails with the same "install Claude GitHub App" message that doesn't complete.

This is almost certainly the in-app webview issue. The Claude mobile app uses an embedded webview for the GitHub OAuth flow, and that webview likely:

Doesn't share your main browser's GitHub session/cookies
Has trouble completing the OAuth redirect back into the app after GitHub authorization
May silently swallow the callback, leaving the app thinking installation never happened
This is a platform bug in the Claude mobile app, not something you can work around from your side. The GitHub App is installed (proven by it working on desktop and mobile web) — the mobile app just can't detect or complete the auth handshake.

I'd recommend filing this at:
https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code/issues

Key details to include:

Mobile app (iOS or Android, version number)
GitHub App is confirmed installed (works on desktop + mobile web)
Mobile app immediately shows "install Claude GitHub App" prompt
The installation flow doesn't complete / loops back to the same message
Repository name if you're comfortable sharing it
This gives the team a clean repro: same account, same repo, works everywhere except the native mobile app — which narrows it down to the app's OAuth/webview handling.

What Should Happen?

It should work. Come on guys you don't need me to fill in all this stuff - claude can search it's own bugs for repeats etc...

Error Messages/Logs

Steps to Reproduce

Read the report

Claude Model

None

Is this a regression?

Yes, this worked in a previous version

Last Working Version

_No response_

Claude Code Version

It won't run

Platform

Other

Operating System

Other

Terminal/Shell

Other

Additional Information

_No response_