[BUG] file:// URL in /insights output loses backslash before ".claude" when rendered

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?

When /insights finishes, the response includes a link to the generated HTML report. The rendered output drops the backslash (\) immediately before .claude in the Windows path, producing a visually broken URL.

Observed output in terminal:
Your shareable insights report is ready:
file://C:\Users\Gll.claude\usage-data\report.html

Actual path on disk (correct):
C:\Users\Gll.claude\usage-data\report.html

Note the missing backslash between Gll and .claude in the rendered URL. The file itself is created at the correct path — only the displayed link is wrong, which breaks click-to-open in terminals that linkify file:// URLs.

Likely cause: the renderer interprets \. in the markdown/ANSI output as an escape sequence and strips the backslash. Other Windows paths with \.something would presumably have the same issue.

What Should Happen?

The rendered file:// URL should preserve every backslash in the Windows path exactly as it exists on disk, so that:

1. The link is visually correct (file://C:\Users\Gll\.claude\usage-data\report.html)
2. Terminals that linkify file:// URLs can open the file directly without a 404

Possible fixes:

• Escape backslashes before rendering (\\ instead of \)
• Emit a file:/// URI with forward slashes (file:///C:/Users/Gll/.claude/usage-data/report.html) — this is the RFC 8089 form and sidesteps escape ambiguity
• Wrap the path in backticks so it's rendered as inline code and not interpreted as markdown

Error Messages/Logs

No stderr or exception — purely a rendering issue.

Minimal reproduction of rendered vs. actual:

Rendered:  file://C:\Users\Gll.claude\usage-data\report.html
Actual:    C:\Users\Gll\.claude\usage-data\report.html
                         ^
                         backslash missing in render

Steps to Reproduce

1. Use Claude Code on Windows (path containing \.claude — the default global config directory).
2. In any project, run /insights.
3. Wait for the report to generate.
4. Observe the final message:

Your shareable insights report is ready: file://C:\Users\<user>\.claude\usage-data\report.html

1. Copy the rendered URL from the terminal and try to open it — it points to a non-existent path because the backslash before .claude was dropped during rendering.

Confirmed with:

• OS: Windows 11
• Shell: PowerShell 7 (pwsh)
• Claude Code installed via Scoop shim (C:\Users\<user>\.local\bin\claude.EXE)

The same rendering issue likely affects any output that emits a Windows path containing a \. sequence in a markdown/ANSI context — not just /insights.

Claude Model

Opus

Is this a regression?

I don't know

Last Working Version

_No response_

Claude Code Version

2.1.118 (Claude Code)

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

Windows

Terminal/Shell

PowerShell

Additional Information

Workarounds I'm using locally:

• In my own slash commands, I wrap Windows paths in backticks when reporting them, which preserves the backslash visually.
• For clickable links, I emit URIs with forward slashes: file:///C:/Users/Gll/.claude/usage-data/report.html.

Scope guess: any renderer path that processes \. as an escape sequence will hit this. Other commands emitting Windows paths in prose (not in code blocks) probably have the same
issue — e.g., /compact summaries, error messages, tool result summaries.

Not a regression as far as I know — I haven't tested older versions for this specific output.