False positive PATH warning on Windows: .local/bin already in PATH
Resolved 💬 4 comments Opened Apr 14, 2026 by HXuanheng Closed May 24, 2026
Description
On Windows, Claude Code shows a startup warning:
Native installation exists but C:\Users\..\.local\bin is not in your PATH. Add it by...
This is a false positive. The directory is already present in both the Windows user PATH and Git Bash $PATH at runtime.
Environment
- OS: Windows 11 Pro 10.0.26200
- Shell: Git Bash (MSYS2)
- Claude Code version: 2.1.107
- Install path:
C:\Users\XuanH\.local\bin\claude.exe
Steps to reproduce
- Install Claude Code natively on Windows (placed in
~/.local/bin/) - Confirm
C:\Users\XuanH\.local\binis in Windows user PATH via[Environment]::GetEnvironmentVariable("PATH", "User") - Confirm it is also in Git Bash
$PATHat runtime - Launch Claude Code — warning still appears
Expected behavior
No warning when .local\bin is already present in PATH.
Actual behavior
Warning fires on every startup as a false positive. The check appears to run before settings.json env injection takes effect, or reads a different PATH snapshot than what is actually set.
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