[BUG] Claude desktop freezes on MacOS user profile when opening Cowork, Claude Code, or General Settings

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?

Description:
Claude Desktop freezes with the spinning rainbow cursor in my original macOS user profile when I try to use Claude Cowork, Claude Code, or open general Settings. Regular chat works normally.

The same Claude Desktop app works correctly when I create a brand-new macOS user profile and install/sign into Claude there, so the issue appears to be specific to my original macOS user account’s local app state/configuration.

What I tried:

• Fully quit and reopened Claude Desktop
• Created a new macOS user profile and tested Claude Desktop there — it worked
• Ran:

rm ~/.claude.json
rm -rf ~/.claude/
rm -rf .claude/
rm .mcp.json

• Terminal showed:

rm: /Users/homefolder/.claude.json: No such file or directory
rm: .mcp.json: No such file or directory

Expected behavior:
Claude Desktop should open Settings, Cowork, and Claude Code without freezing.

Actual behavior:
Claude Desktop freezes immediately with the spinning rainbow cursor when I open those areas or press Enter.

Environment:

• macOS version: [fill this in]
• Mac model/chip: [fill this in, e.g. MacBook Air M1/M2/M3]
• Claude Desktop version: [fill this in if you can find it]
• Claude account plan: [Free/Pro/Max/Team, if relevant]

What Should Happen?

Claude Desktop should open Settings, Cowork, and Claude Code without freezing.

Error Messages/Logs

Steps to Reproduce

1. Sign into macOS using my original user account.

1. Open Claude Desktop.

1. Confirm that regular Claude chat works normally.

1. Try to open any of the following:

• Claude Cowork
• Claude Code
• Claude Desktop general Settings

1. Claude Desktop immediately becomes unresponsive and macOS shows the spinning rainbow cursor.

1. Force quit Claude Desktop.

1. Sign into a newly created macOS user account on the same Mac.

1. Install/open Claude Desktop and sign into the same Claude account.

1. Try the same actions again:

• Open Claude Cowork
• Open Claude Code
• Open general Settings

1. In the new macOS user account, Claude Desktop works normally and does not freeze.

Claude Model

Opus

Is this a regression?

Yes, this worked in a previous version

Last Working Version

_No response_

Claude Code Version

2.1.68 (Claude Code)

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

macOS

Terminal/Shell

Terminal.app (macOS)

Additional Information

Additional context:

• The issue only happens in my original macOS user profile.
• Regular chat works in the original profile.
• Claude Cowork, Claude Code, and Settings freeze in the original profile.
• A fresh macOS user profile on the same Mac works normally.
• I tried resetting Claude Code config by running:

rm ~/.claude.json
rm -rf ~/.claude/
rm -rf .claude/
rm .mcp.json

The output was:

rm: /Users/homefolder/.claude.json: No such file or directory
rm: .mcp.json: No such file or directory

The other rm -rf commands completed without visible errors.