[BUG] 1.3036.0: CoWork sessions crash with "Claude Code process exited with code 1" on first message — terminal CLI works fine

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?

After updating to Claude Desktop 1.3036.0 (cf521c) on 2026-04-16, every CoWork session crashes within ~1 second of the first message with "Claude Code process exited with code 1."

Reproduces 100% of the time on:

• New sessions outside any project
• New sessions inside projects
• Resumed sessions

The bundled Claude Code binary (SDK 2.1.111) works correctly when invoked directly from terminal via claude --resume <session-id>. The same session that crashes in Desktop resumes successfully in the CLI. The bug is isolated to the Desktop app's process-spawn path, not the binary, authentication, or API reachability.

Full quit + relaunch does not help. Check for Updates confirms 1.3036.0 is current.

Environment: macOS (Apple Silicon), Claude Desktop 1.3036.0 (cf521c), Claude Code SDK 2.1.111.

Pattern matches prior Desktop-launcher regressions (issues #46029, #37822, #39270). Worked on the build immediately before 1.3036.0.

What Should Happen?

CoWork sessions should successfully accept and respond to the first user message. The Claude Code process should spawn and remain running, stream a response back, and the session should transition to a healthy cycle with had_first_response: true.

This worked correctly on the build immediately prior to 1.3036.0.

Error Messages/Logs

Source: ~/Library/Logs/Claude/main.log

2026-04-16 13:23:29 [info] [LocalAgentModeSessionManager] Using system prompt (122259 chars, 1 segments)
2026-04-16 13:23:29 [info] [LocalAgentModeSessionManager] SDK version 2.1.111 will be used
2026-04-16 13:23:29 [info] Using Claude VM spawn function for session
2026-04-16 13:23:29 [info] [Lifecycle] Session local_XXXX: initializing → running
2026-04-16 13:23:30 [error] Session local_XXXX query error: Claude Code process exited with code 1
2026-04-16 13:23:30 [info] [Lifecycle] Session local_XXXX: running → idle
2026-04-16 13:23:30 [info] [CycleHealth] Unhealthy cycle: {
  session_id: 'local_XXXX',
  vm_instance_id: 'XXXX',
  model: 'claude-opus-4-6',
  cycle_health: 'unhealthy',
  had_first_response: false,
  seconds_to_outcome: 1,
  is_resume: true,
  unhealthy_reason: 'system_error',
  error_category: 'process_crashed',
  error_message: 'Claude Code process exited with code 1',
  transcript_size_bytes: 336477
}

Steps to Reproduce

1. Update Claude Desktop to 1.3036.0 (cf521c) on macOS Apple Silicon
2. Launch the app and open the CoWork tab
3. Click "+ New task" (no project selected)
4. Type any first message (e.g., "Is this session working?")
5. Observe: "Something went wrong — Claude Code process exited with code 1" appears within ~1 second

Reproduces identically when starting a task inside a project, and when resuming an existing session.

For comparison: running claude --resume <session-id> from terminal with the same SDK version (2.1.111) successfully resumes the same session that crashes in Desktop.

Claude Model

Opus

Is this a regression?

Yes, this worked in a previous version

Last Working Version

_No response_

Claude Code Version

Version was up to date before Claude 1.3036.0 (cf521c) 2026-04-16T16:17:33.000Z

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

macOS

Terminal/Shell

Terminal.app (macOS)

Additional Information

_No response_