[BUG] Desktop app Google Drive connector flow routes to signup page, creates duplicate account under same email and locks paid Max subscriber

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?

Preflight Checklist
• I have searched existing issues and this hasn’t been reported yet
• This is a single bug report
• I am a paying Claude Max subscriber affected by this issue
What’s Wrong
Clicking “Connect” on the Google Drive connector in the Claude macOS desktop app (Settings → Connectors) opens the Claude account signup flow in the default browser instead of the Google OAuth consent screen. If the user proceeds through this flow (reasonably believing it’s part of the connector setup), a duplicate Claude account is created under the same email address but with a different auth provider than the original account. The user is then locked out of their paid account on web and desktop.
Steps to Reproduce

1. Have an existing Claude Max subscription originally signed up via Apple Sign-In
2. Be signed in on the macOS desktop app via existing session
3. Settings → Connectors → click “Connect” next to Google Drive
4. Observe: default browser opens to claude.ai onboarding (“How are you planning to use Claude?”) — NOT the Google OAuth consent screen
5. Continue through the flow — you arrive at “Let’s create your account” showing “Email verified as [your_email]”
6. Click “Create account”
7. A duplicate account is now created under the same email but a different auth provider (email magic link instead of Apple Sign-In)

Expected Behavior
Clicking “Connect” on a connector in the signed-in desktop app should:
• Either open the Google OAuth consent screen directly, or
• Prompt the user to sign in to Claude first (if session is missing), but recognize the existing email and route to the correct auth provider instead of “Create account”
Actual Behavior
• Routes to new-user signup flow regardless of existing account on that email
• “Email verified as [email]” step does not check whether an account already exists under that email before offering “Create account”
• Allows creation of duplicate accounts under identical email addresses with different auth providers
• Primary account becomes inaccessible on web and desktop (Apple Sign-In flow is now ambiguous and routes to onboarding)
Impact
• Paid Max subscriber locked out of their subscription on web and desktop
• iOS app remains the only remaining access point to the original paid account
• Auto-renewal scheduled in 4 days — next Stripe charge will likely go to an ambiguous/orphaned account state
• No self-service path to delete the duplicate account or merge identities
Support Path Attempted

1. Opened Fin AI Agent conversation on support.claude.com
2. Fin confirmed billing is direct Stripe (not Apple App Store) and confirmed Fin cannot verify billing details or perform account deletion
3. When asked to escalate to a human specialist, Fin closed the conversation with “browse our Help Center or start a new conversation” — no human routing
4. Emailed support@anthropic.com (pending response)
5. Opening this issue as final escalation path, per precedent in #47290

Request to Engineering

1. Urgent (individual case): Route me to a human specialist who can delete the duplicate empty account (created ~23:00 CEST Apr 19, 2026) and restore web/desktop sign-in to the original Max-subscribed account via Apple Sign-In — before the Apr 24 renewal.
2. Product fix (broader): The connector OAuth flow should not route to a new-user signup page. The “Email verified as [email]” step must check for existing accounts under that email before offering “Create account” as an option. This is a data-integrity issue that can silently duplicate paying customers’ accounts.

Verification
I can provide the following privately via official support channels (not in this public issue):
• Account email
• Paid invoice PDFs (3 recent invoices)
• Card last-4 digits
• Account creation timestamps for both accounts
• iOS app screenshots showing the active Max plan under the original account
Happy to verify via any channel that is not a dead-end bot loop.

What Should Happen?

Clicking “Connect” on a connector in the signed-in desktop app should open the Google OAuth consent screen directly, OR prompt the user to sign in to Claude first if the session is missing. It must recognize the existing email and route to the correct original auth provider (Apple Sign-In in my case) instead of offering “Create account”. Silently creating a duplicate account under a different auth provider with the same email address should never be possible.

Error Messages/Logs

No stack trace or error message — this is a silent UX and auth-routing bug. The Google Drive connector flow opens the Claude signup onboarding in the browser instead of a Google OAuth consent screen. No error is surfaced to the user; they simply arrive at “Let’s create your account” with “Email verified as [my_email]” and a “Create account” button that creates a duplicate.

Steps to Reproduce

Have an existing Claude Max subscription originally signed up via Apple Sign-In

1. Be signed in on the macOS desktop app via existing session
2. Go to Settings → Connectors → click “Connect” next to Google Drive
3. Observe: default browser opens to claude.ai onboarding (“How are you planning to use Claude?”) — NOT the Google OAuth consent screen
4. Continue through the flow — arrive at “Let’s create your account” showing “Email verified as [your_email]”
5. Click “Create account”
6. A duplicate account is created under the same email but a different auth provider (email magic link instead of Apple Sign-In)
7. Cannot sign in to web or macOS desktop app anymore — all login flows now route back to onboarding

Claude Model

Opus

Is this a regression?

Yes, this worked in a previous version

Last Working Version

_No response_

Claude Code Version

4.7

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

macOS

Terminal/Shell

Terminal.app (macOS)

Additional Information

This is not a Claude Code CLI bug — I’m opening on this repo per precedent in #47290, where a billing issue required engineering escalation because Fin AI support could not resolve. My support path:

1. Fin AI Agent on support.claude.com — confirmed billing details but stated it cannot delete accounts or escalate; closed conversation without routing to human
2. Email to support@anthropic.com — pending
3. This GitHub issue as final escalation

Impact: Max subscription auto-renews in 4 days (Apr 24, 2026) and I have no way to ensure the renewal charge is applied to the correct of two accounts under my email. Requesting a human specialist to delete the duplicate empty account created Apr 19, 2026 ~23:00 CEST and restore Apple Sign-In access to the original paid account.
Verification details (card last-4, invoice PDFs, account creation timestamps, iOS screenshots showing active Max plan) available privately via official support channels.