Claude in Chrome extension not connecting to Claude Code desktop app (Windows 11)

Environment:

OS: Windows 11 Home
Claude Code: desktop app
Claude in Chrome: v1.0.66 (Beta)
Chrome: with extension installed from Chrome Web Store
What I did:

Installed Claude in Chrome extension
Signed in with same account ([nonelondanan@gmail.com](mailto:nonelondanan@gmail.com))
Set site access to "On all sites"
Enabled all permissions (incognito, file URLs, etc.)
In Claude Code Settings → Claude in Chrome → set "Default for all sites" to "Allow extension"
Restarted Chrome, restarted Claude Code, restarted the entire laptop
Verified claude --chrome flag exists in the CLI
What's happening:
Every call to mcp__Claude_in_Chrome__tabs_context_mcp returns:

"Claude in Chrome is not connected. The Chrome extension isn't reachable right now."

This happens consistently regardless of restarts or configuration changes.

What we confirmed:

The MCP tools for Claude in Chrome ARE available inside Claude Code (they appear in the tool list)
The Chrome extension is fully configured and signed in
The --chrome flag exists in the CLI (claude --help shows it)
The chrome key is NOT a valid field in settings.json (schema rejects it)
The connection layer between the desktop app and the Chrome extension is never established
Expected behavior:
tabs_context_mcp should return available tab IDs so Claude can navigate, screenshot, and read web pages from inside a Claude Code desktop session.