[BUG] Shell snapshot exports PATH with single-quoted ${PATH}, preventing expansion

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?

The shell snapshot Claude Code generates at startup (~/.claude/shell-snapshots/snapshot-zsh-*.sh)
exports PATH using single quotes around ${PATH}. Single quotes prevent shell expansion, so
${PATH} is written into the new PATH as the literal 7-character string ${PATH} instead of being
replaced with the previous PATH value.

Offending line from the snapshot:

``bash
export PATH='/Users/USER/.local/share/mise/installs/ruby/3.4.2/bin:${PATH}:/Users/USER/.claude/plugins/
cache/claude-plugins-official/playwright/unknown/bin:/Users/USER/.claude/plugins/cache/claude-plugins-o
fficial/github/unknown/bin:/Users/USER/.claude/plugins/cache/claude-plugins-official/code-review/unknow
n/bin:/Users/USER/.claude/plugins/cache/claude-plugins-official/figma/2.1.7/bin:/Users/USER/.claude/plu
gins/cache/claude-plugins-official/atlassian/9b52fb18e184/bin:/Users/USER/.claude/plugins/cache/claude-
plugins-official/sentry/1.0.0/bin:/Users/USER/.claude/plugins/cache/claude-plugins-official/ruby-lsp/1.
0.0/bin:/Users/USER/.claude/plugins/cache/claude-plugins-official/superpowers/5.0.7/bin:/Users/USER/.cl
aude/plugins/cache/claude-plugins-official/chrome-devtools-mcp/latest/bin'
``

After this runs, PATH becomes ruby/bin:${PATH}:plugin1:plugin2:… — everything the user had in
PATH before (including /bin, /usr/bin, /opt/homebrew/bin, ~/.local/bin, etc.) is gone.

Two visible consequences:

1. Bash tool is crippled — basic system utilities (ls, grep, tr, head, zsh) fail with

"command not found" because /bin and /usr/bin are no longer in PATH.

1. False "native install" warning on startup. Claude Code prints:

> Native installation exists but ~/.local/bin is not in your PATH. Run: echo 'export
PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.zshrc && source ~/.zshrc

This persists even when ~/.local/bin is verifiably in the interactive shell's PATH (confirmed by
running echo $PATH | tr ':' '\n' | grep local/bin — three hits). The native-install detector appears
to rely on the same broken snapshot.

Environment:

• Claude Code 2.1.113
• macOS (Darwin 25.3.0)
• zsh + oh-my-zsh + mise
• Native install at ~/.local/bin/claude
• Enabled plugins: playwright, github, code-review, figma, atlassian, Notion, sentry, ruby-lsp,

superpowers, chrome-devtools-mcp

What Should Happen?

The snapshot should set PATH to a value that actually contains the user's pre-existing PATH
entries, so system utilities and user-installed binaries remain available inside the Bash tool.

Either of these is correct:

• Use double quotes and keep $PATH unquoted for expansion:

``bash
export PATH="/…/ruby/bin:$PATH:/…/plugin1:/…/plugin2"
``

• Or, better: fully expand PATH at snapshot-generation time and write the final value as a literal

string, so the snapshot isn't dependent on the environment in which it's later sourced.

With the fix in place:

• ls, grep, zsh, head, tr, etc. should resolve in Bash tool calls.
• The "native install is not in your PATH" warning should not appear when ~/.local/bin is on the

user's actual PATH.

Error Messages/Logs

Startup warning (persists even when `~/.local/bin` is already on the user's interactive `PATH`):

  
  Native installation exists but ~/.local/bin is not in your PATH. Run:

    echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.zshrc && source ~/.zshrc
  

  Example Bash tool failures inside a session:

  
  $ zsh -c 'echo $PATH' | tr ':' '\n' | grep local/bin
  zsh: command not found: grep
  zsh: command not found: zsh
  zsh: command not found: tr

  $ ls ~/.claude
  zsh: command not found: ls
  

  Echoing `$PATH` inside a Bash tool call shows the literal `${PATH}` sitting in the middle of the value:

  
  /Users/USER/.local/share/mise/installs/ruby/3.4.2/bin:${PATH}:/Users/USER/.claude/plugins/cache/claude-
  plugins-official/playwright/unknown/bin:…

Steps to Reproduce

1. macOS with zsh as the login shell. (In my setup: oh-my-zsh + mise, but the bug is in the quote style

of the snapshot, not shell-config-specific.)

1. Install Claude Code via the native installer so the binary lives at ~/.local/bin/claude.
2. Enable several official plugins, e.g. playwright, github, code-review, figma, atlassian,

Notion, sentry, ruby-lsp, superpowers, chrome-devtools-mcp.

1. Start claude in any directory.
2. Observe the startup warning: "Native installation exists but ~/.local/bin is not in your PATH."

— even though echo $PATH | tr ':' '\n' | grep local/bin in the same terminal prints the directory.

1. Inside the session, ask Claude to run ls ~/.claude or zsh -c 'echo $PATH' | grep local/bin via

the Bash tool. You'll get command not found for ls, zsh, grep, tr, head, etc.

1. Open ~/.claude/shell-snapshots/snapshot-zsh-*.sh (the most recent one) and search for `export

PATH=. The assignment uses single quotes and contains the literal string ${PATH}` in the middle of
the value.

Claude Model

Opus

Is this a regression?

Yes, this worked in a previous version

Last Working Version

_No response_

Claude Code Version

2.1.13

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

macOS

Terminal/Shell

iTerm2

Additional Information

_No response_