[BUG] [Windows] Plugin marketplace install fails with EPERM on rename — path resolution collapses username + .claude into single token

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?

Title: [Windows] Plugin marketplace install fails with EPERM on rename — path resolution collapses username + .claude into single token

Labels: bug, windows, plugin-marketplace

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Environment

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Claude Code version | v2.1.117 → reproduced on v2.1.118 |
| OS | Windows 11, Build 26200 |
| Install method | native installer |

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Description

On Windows, when a username contains no dots, Claude Code incorrectly resolves the config path by collapsing C:\Users\username and \.claude into C:\Users\username.claude\ — treating .claude as a suffix to the username rather than a subdirectory.

This manifests as an EPERM: operation not permitted, rename error when the marketplace installer attempts to atomically rename a temp directory to the final destination, because the resolved path is invalid/unexpected.

This happens even when CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR is set to the right folder C:\Users\username\.claude AND a symlink from C:\Users\username.claude -> C:\Users\username\.claude exists.

Similar issue reported in https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code/issues/45432 but that is related to the username having accented characters.

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Steps to Reproduce

1. Fresh Windows install of Claude Code (native, non-WSL)
2. Run /plugin marketplace add https://github.com/affaan-m/everything-claude-code
3. Observe failure

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Error Output

Error: Failed to finalize marketplace cache. Please manually delete the directory at
C:\Users\username.claude\plugins\marketplaces\everything-claude-code if it exists and try again.

Technical details: EPERM: operation not permitted, rename
'C:\Users\username.claude\plugins\marketplaces\temp_1776882015473' ->
'C:\Users\username.claude\plugins\marketplaces\everything-claude-code'

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Root Cause Analysis

Two distinct bugs appear to be present:

Bug 1 — Path resolution: ~\.claude is being resolved by stripping the separator, producing username.claude as a directory name rather than username\.claude as a subdirectory. The splash screen displays ~\.claude correctly, but the runtime path is wrong.

Bug 2 — Atomic rename: fs.rename() on Windows fails with EPERM when the destination directory already exists (from a prior failed attempt). Unlike POSIX, Windows does not support atomic directory rename-over-existing. The installer has no fallback for this case.

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Attempted Workarounds — All Unsuccessful

| Workaround | Result |
|---|---|
| Set CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR=C:\Users\username\.claude (User env var) | Fixes config dir but plugins path resolved independently — no effect on marketplace |
| NTFS junction: username.claude → username\.claude | Junction already existed; EPERM on rename still occurs |
| Manual deletion of temp_* and everything-claude-code dirs before retry | Temp dir recreated on next attempt, rename fails again |
| Manual git clone into target path | Workaround only — does not fix the underlying issue |

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Expected Behavior

• ~\.claude resolves to C:\Users\username\.claude (subdirectory)
• Marketplace installer handles pre-existing destination directory gracefully (delete-then-rename or copy-then-delete fallback)
• CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR controls all path resolution including plugins, not just config

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Additional Notes

The EPERM on rename is a known Windows limitation with Node.js fs.rename() across certain directory states. The fix is either fs.rm() on the destination before rename, or using a copy+delete strategy instead of atomic rename on Windows.

What Should Happen?

Expected Behavior

• ~\.claude resolves to C:\Users\username\.claude (subdirectory)
• Marketplace installer handles pre-existing destination directory gracefully (delete-then-rename or copy-then-delete fallback)
• CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR controls all path resolution including plugins, not just config

Error Messages/Logs

### Error Output


Error: Failed to finalize marketplace cache. Please manually delete the directory at
C:\Users\username.claude\plugins\marketplaces\everything-claude-code if it exists and try again.

Technical details: EPERM: operation not permitted, rename
'C:\Users\username.claude\plugins\marketplaces\temp_1776882015473' ->
'C:\Users\username.claude\plugins\marketplaces\everything-claude-code'

Steps to Reproduce

Steps to Reproduce

1. Fresh Windows install of Claude Code (native, non-WSL)
2. Run /plugin marketplace add https://github.com/affaan-m/everything-claude-code
3. Observe failure

Claude Model

Sonnet (default)

Is this a regression?

Yes, this worked in a previous version

Last Working Version

_No response_

Claude Code Version

2.1.118

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

Windows

Terminal/Shell

Windows Terminal

Additional Information

_No response_