[BUG] Claude Desktop 1.3036.0 — chat exits code 1 on every message, Projects list renders empty despite intact data

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 Claude Desktop to version 1.3036.0 (cf521c), built 2026-04-16T16:17:33.000Z, two things broke simultaneously on macOS:

1. Every message I send — in Chat mode, Cowork mode, and Code mode — errors out immediately with "Claude Code process exited with code 1." No response is ever returned. This happens regardless of message content or length.

1. The Cowork Projects sidebar now shows the first-run empty state ("Looking to start a project? Point Claude at a folder on your machine and work on it together") even though I have numerous active Cowork projects I use daily for client consulting work.

Important context: my project data is intact on disk. Folders still exist at ~/Documents/Claude/Projects/ with current files, and the app's Local Storage LevelDB still contains project references (e.g., grepping the file returns the literal string "/Projects/Marge Ostroushko"). Skills (9 personal skills) and Connectors (Gmail, Google Drive, Google Calendar, Notion, GitHub, Claude in Chrome, Control Chrome, Control your Mac, Filesystem, AWS API MCP, Figma, WordPress) all render correctly in the Customize panel. Only the Projects list and message sending are broken.

This appears to be the same class of regression as #37822, #39270, and #40540 — the Desktop app spawning the embedded Claude Code binary with flags it can't parse, causing an immediate exit.

Impact: Cowork is completely unusable. This is my primary daily work environment as a Max Plan subscriber.

What Should Happen?

• Chat messages should receive responses, not crash the underlying process.
• The Projects sidebar should display existing projects, since the project data is intact on disk and in Local Storage.
• A Desktop app update should not break core functionality on the day it ships.

Error Messages/Logs

Error shown to user: "Claude Code process exited with code 1"

This error appears after every message, in all three modes (Chat, Cowork, Code). The message bubble shows briefly as "working," then fails.

Full logs available on request from ~/Library/Logs/Claude/ and the Sentry scope file at ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/sentry/scope_v3.json.

Steps to Reproduce

1. Update Claude Desktop on macOS (Apple Silicon) to version 1.3036.0 (cf521c), built 2026-04-16T16:17:33.000Z.
2. Open Claude Desktop.
3. Send any message in Chat, Cowork, or Code mode — a single word like "hi" is sufficient.
4. Observe the message fails with "Claude Code process exited with code 1."
5. Navigate to the Cowork Projects panel.
6. Observe the empty first-run state is shown despite project data existing on disk at ~/Documents/Claude/Projects/ and in the app's Local Storage LevelDB.

Troubleshooting already attempted (none successful):

• Force-quit and relaunched (verified via pkill -9 -f Claude and ps aux | grep -i claude).
• Deleted and rebuilt the Cowork VM bundle.
• Verified IndexedDB and Local Storage LevelDB files are non-empty and uncorrupted.
• Verified no stale processes, no lock files held, no permissions issues.

Claude Model

Not sure / Multiple models

Is this a regression?

Yes, this worked in a previous version

Last Working Version

The previous Claude Desktop version I was running worked correctly earlier today, before the auto-update installed 1.3036.0 at 2026-04-16T16:17:33 UTC. I did not record the previous version number.

Claude Code Version

Not applicable — this is a Claude Desktop bug, not a Claude Code CLI bug. The Desktop app version is 1.3036.0 (cf521c), built 2026-04-16T16:17:33.000Z. The embedded Claude Code binary inside the Desktop app is what's crashing, but I access it via the Desktop UI, not the CLI.

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

macOS

Terminal/Shell

Terminal.app (macOS)

Additional Information

Hardware: Mac mini, Apple Silicon.
Plan: Claude Max ($200/month).
Install method: direct download from claude.com (not Mac App Store).
Build identifier: 1.3036.0 (cf521c), built 2026-04-16T16:17:33.000Z.

Diagnostic data confirming data integrity (all read-only checks, no modifications made):

• ~/Documents/Claude/Projects/ contains active project folders with current files.
• ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/Local Storage/leveldb/ contains project references including literal string "/Projects/Marge Ostroushko".
• ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/IndexedDB/https_claude.ai_0.indexeddb.leveldb/ is non-empty (~70KB, LOCK file at 0 bytes indicating no held lock).
• Skills and Connectors render correctly in the Customize panel (confirmed via screenshot).
• Project registry appears intact; only the Projects sidebar rendering is broken.

A full 3.3 GB snapshot of ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/ and ~/Documents/Claude/ has been preserved locally if Anthropic engineering needs specific log files or database inspection.

Related known issues (same class of regression): #37822, #39270, #40540.