[BUG] Desktop Code/Cowork mode crashes instantly with OOM error — persists after fresh install, empty chats, confirmed not RAM-related (macOS Tahoe 26.4.1, v1.3036.0)

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?

Claude Desktop Code/Cowork mode crashes instantly every time it is activated. Normal chat works perfectly. The issue is completely isolated to Code mode.
This has been extensively debugged and ruled down to a specific OOM allocation loop in the renderer — not a system resource issue, not a conversation-size issue, not a corrupted install.

Steps to Reproduce

What Should Happen?

Code mode should activate and respond normally.

Error Messages/Logs

<--- Last few GCs --->

131136 ms: Mark-Compact (reduce) 3778.6 (3811.1) -> 3778.6 (3786.9) MB
last resort; GC in old space requested

131153 ms: Mark-Compact (reduce) 3778.6 (3786.9) -> 3778.6 (3785.6) MB
last resort; GC in old space requested

OOM error in V8: CALL_AND_RETRY_LAST Allocation failed — JavaScript heap out of memory

Trace/BPT trap: 5

Steps to Reproduce

Open Claude Desktop (v1.3036.0) on macOS 26.4.1 , Apple Silicon m3
Start a brand new empty chat
Click the Code/Cowork toggle
App closes immediately within ~2 minutes with no crash dialog
Repeatable 100% of the time

Claude Model

Opus

Is this a regression?

Yes, this worked in a previous version

Last Working Version

2 versions behind

Claude Code Version

v1.3036.0

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

macOS

Terminal/Shell

Terminal.app (macOS)

Additional Information

Additional Issue: Claude Code CLI stopped working
Following the desktop crash, Claude Code CLI has also stopped working entirely. Unclear if related to the desktop bug or a separate issue. Including here for visibility — happy to file separately if preferred.

Analysis
The renderer enters an allocation loop, growing V8 heap to ~3778MB before dying. This happens on:

A brand new empty chat with no content
A system with 8GB+ free RAM and green Memory Pressure
A freshly downloaded and installed app with all caches cleared

This rules out:

❌ Content size / heavy conversation
❌ System RAM shortage
❌ Corrupted install or stale cache
❌ User configuration issue

The allocation loop appears to be in the Code/Cowork renderer initialization path itself, not triggered by any content or system constraint.
No crash report is generated in macOS Console — this is a silent renderer exit, not a native macOS crash.