Claude in Chrome: CLI never connects to native-host bridge socket (macOS, v2.1.121)

Environment

• macOS 26.3 (Darwin 25.3.0 arm64)
• Claude Code: 2.1.121
• Chrome extension: 1.0.69 (ID fcoeoabgfenejglbffodgkkbkcdhcgfn)
• Google Chrome: 148.0.7778.56
• Both Claude Desktop and Claude Code installed

Symptom

Every mcp__claude-in-chrome__* tool call returns:

Browser extension is not connected. Please ensure the Claude browser extension is installed and running...

What works

• Chrome → native host: when the extension wakes, Chrome successfully spawns claude.exe --chrome-native-host, which binds to /tmp/claude-mcp-browser-bridge-$USER/<pid>.sock (mode 0600, dir 0700).
• The disconnect message correctly indicates the bridge isn't connected.

What doesn't work

• The claude --chrome CLI session never opens a client connection to the bridge socket. lsof -p <claude-pid> shows no fd for /tmp/claude-mcp-browser-bridge-*.

Steps tried (all clean, none fixed it)

1. Renamed Claude Desktop's com.anthropic.claude_browser_extension.json → .disabled (per a Reddit fix that worked for others).
2. Fully quit & reopened Chrome.
3. Uninstalled and reinstalled the Chrome extension.
4. Updated Claude Code 2.1.119 → 2.1.121.
5. Killed the native-host process so Chrome respawns it on the new binary; cleaned stale .sock files.
6. Started multiple fresh claude --chrome sessions after each step.
7. Removed com.apple.quarantine xattr from the bridge directory.
8. Verified socket dir mode 0700, socket mode 0600.

Notes

• Result is the same whether the Desktop host config is enabled or disabled.
• Native host and CLI are both running the same binary path / version 2.1.121, so it isn't a version skew.
• Happy to provide debug logs if there's a flag/path that surfaces the CLI's bridge-connection attempts (--debug doesn't appear to surface them).