[BUG] Desktop app sidebar empty (no chats, no projects) after login — same account works on iOS and web

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?

Summary
After the Claude.ai outage on April 13, 2026 (~15:40 UTC), the macOS Claude Desktop app shows a completely empty sidebar — no chats, no projects, no recents — even though the same account works correctly on iOS and on claude.ai in a browser. The header correctly displays my name and Max plan badge. New chats can be started, but no historical conversations or projects ever load.
Environment

macOS: 26.1 (25B78)
Claude Desktop: 1.1617.0 (8d6345), built 2026-04-09T16:10:15.000Z
Plan: Max
Login method: Google SSO
Region: Czech Republic (Prague)

Steps to reproduce

Open Claude Desktop app
Click "Continue with Google"
Complete Google OAuth in browser, get redirected back to the app
App loads, header shows correct name and Max plan badge
Sidebar is completely empty — no chats, no projects, no recents
Starting a new chat works, but no history or projects ever appear

Expected behavior
Sidebar populates with my existing chats and projects, matching what's visible on iOS and claude.ai in browser.
Actual behavior
Sidebar remains permanently empty across app restarts, reinstalls, and clean wipes.
Verification that account/data is intact

✅ Same Google account on iOS app → all chats and projects visible
✅ Same Google account on claude.ai in browser → all chats and projects visible
❌ Same Google account on macOS Desktop app → empty sidebar

This rules out account-side data loss. The data exists server-side and is reachable from other clients.
Troubleshooting already attempted

Full sign-out from inside the app, sign back in via Google
Force quit (Cmd+Option+Esc) and relaunch
Quit + manually deleted ~/Library/Application Support/Claude and ~/Library/Caches/Claude, then signed in fresh
Full reinstall of latest Claude Desktop app
Complete uninstall via CleanMyMac (Binaries, Login Items, Logs, Preferences, Supporting Files — 4.4 GB total), reboot, fresh install from claude.ai/download
Verified same Google account renders correctly on iOS and claude.ai (browser)
Tried email magic-link login as alternative to Google — same empty sidebar result

None of the above resolved the issue.
Timing
Issue began immediately following the Apr 13, 2026 ~15:40 UTC Claude.ai down incident (status.claude.com). Status page returned to "All Systems Operational" shortly after, and other surfaces (iOS, web) recovered fully — but the desktop app has remained in this broken state since.
The original Google login also failed during the outage; only email magic-link worked at first. Once Google login became available again post-outage, it succeeds (no error) but produces the empty sidebar described above.
Console.app logs
Captured around app launch and login. Network layer initializes successfully — TLS 1.3 handshakes complete, HTTP 200 responses on background calls, no auth or sync errors visible at the system level. The actual conversation/project fetches happen in the Electron renderer subprocess, which Console.app does not fully capture.
[Attach the Console log file you already collected]
If maintainers can advise how to enable DevTools or renderer-level logging in the production build, I'm happy to provide deeper logs.
Additional notes

No VPN in use
No browser extensions involved (this is the standalone desktop app)
Network connection stable (verified by successful connections on iOS and web from the same machine/network)
Issue persists across multiple full reboots

console-claude.md

What Should Happen?

What should happen?
After logging in via Google SSO, the sidebar should populate with my existing chats and projects — matching exactly what's visible when I log into the same Google account on the iOS app or on claude.ai in a browser. New chats started in the desktop app should also appear in the sidebar and sync across devices.

Error Messages/Logs

Steps to Reproduce

1. Open Claude Desktop app on macOS (signed out state)
2. Click "Continue with Google"
3. Complete Google OAuth flow in the browser that opens
4. Get redirected back to the desktop app
5. App loads — header correctly shows my name and Max plan badge
6. Observe sidebar: completely empty (no chats, no projects, no recents)
7. Wait several minutes — sidebar never populates
8. Open claude.ai in a browser, log in via the same Google account → all chats and projects load correctly
9. Open Claude iOS app, log in via the same Google account → all chats and projects load correctly

Claude Model

None

Is this a regression?

Yes, this worked in a previous version

Last Working Version

_No response_

Claude Code Version

2.1.104 (Claude Code)

Platform

Other

Operating System

macOS

Terminal/Shell

Other

Additional Information

Which API platform are you using? → N/A — this is a Claude Desktop app issue (claude.ai/download), not Claude Code or API. Filing here per support agent's direction.
Which terminal are you using? → N/A — Claude Desktop app, not a terminal-based tool. macOS 26.1, app version 1.1617.0.