[BUG] Claude Code hangs indefinitely on first message — startup quota_check API request never completes

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

Claude Code hangs indefinitely on the first message of any session. The UI shows a "thinking" spinner (Flambéing / Improvising / Cultivating / etc.) but no API request is made for the user's message. Debug logs show a startup /v1/messages request with source=quota_check that never gets a response logged, suggesting the app is wedged waiting on an uncompleted quota check.

Environment

• Claude Code version: 2.1.112 (native installer, ~/.local/bin/claude)
• macOS
• Reproduces in both Ghostty and Terminal.app
• Opus 4.7 with xhigh effort AND Sonnet with low effort both hang
• Subscription: Claude Max

Steps to Reproduce

1. Open terminal, cd to any directory (including empty ones like /tmp/claude-test)
2. Run claude --debug
3. Type "hello" and press Enter
4. Session hangs indefinitely with thinking spinner; no response ever returned

What I've Ruled Out

Spent ~1 hour systematically eliminating local causes:

• ✅ Disabled remoteControlAtStartup in ~/.claude.json
• ✅ Removed all MCP servers (Gmail, Google Calendar, Notion disconnected from web UI)
• ✅ Moved ~/.claude/plugins aside — still hangs
• ✅ Tested in empty directory with no project CLAUDE.md
• ✅ Tried both Opus 4.7 (xhigh) and Sonnet (low effort) — both hang
• ✅ Tested in Terminal.app (not just Ghostty) — same behavior
• ✅ curl to https://api.anthropic.com/v1/messages returns 401 in 25ms (network healthy)
• ✅ claude auth logout + claude auth login — still hangs
• ✅ Piped input via echo "hello" | claude --print — also hangs (not a keyboard/input issue)
• ✅ Full clean reinstall: rm -rf ~/.local/bin/claude ~/.local/share/claude + curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash + fresh claude auth login — still hangs

Key Debug Log Evidence

The startup quota check fires but no response is ever logged:
[DEBUG] [API REQUEST] /v1/messages x-client-request-id=ea0ff8e1-043d-43f6-8f69-4981a3530833 source=quota_check

After this line, the log shows only plugin init, LSP init, and periodic heartbeats/presence pulses. When "hello" is typed, NO new API request is logged — the app never submits the user's message. This suggests the quota check is blocking all subsequent requests.

Additional Notes

• Before disabling remoteControlAtStartup, /remote-control is active appeared at every session start despite never explicitly enabling it
• Three claude.ai MCP servers (Gmail, Google Calendar, Notion) were stuck in "Needs authentication" state but could not be removed via claude mcp remove — they are account-level and had to be disconnected via claude.ai web UI
• Happy to attach full debug log from ~/.claude/debug/latest if needed

30bd82d3-68de-48fe-adfb-4bb514576791.txt

What Should Happen?

Claude should respond when i say 'hello' upon starting claude

Error Messages/Logs

Steps to Reproduce

i mean i think its on my instance somehow. but i go to terminal, type in claude, it opens, i enter 'hello' and it stalls forever

Claude Model

Opus

Is this a regression?

Yes, this worked in a previous version

Last Working Version

_No response_

Claude Code Version

2.1.112 (Claude Code)

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

macOS

Terminal/Shell

Terminal.app (macOS)

Additional Information

_No response_