[BUG] Cowork Dispatch persistently shows "Desktop appears offline" on Windows despite verified bridge and virtualization

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?

Environment:

Claude Code version: 2.1.116
OS: Windows
Plan: (fill in your plan tier)
Date observed: 2026-04-28

Summary:
Cowork Dispatch shows "Desktop appears offline. Will run when it reconnects" indefinitely. When the bridge briefly connects, message send fails with "Message couldn't be sent. You can try again." Regular Cowork tasks (non-Dispatch) work normally.
Steps to reproduce:

Open Claude desktop app, sign in
Navigate to Dispatch (Beta)
Send any message (e.g., "test")
Receive "Desktop appears offline" response

Verified troubleshooting completed:

Signed out and back in on desktop and mobile
Started multiple fresh Dispatch threads
Fully quit and restarted desktop app
Deleted %USERPROFILE%\.claude\bridge-state.json
Deleted %USERPROFILE%\.claude\.credentials.json and re-authed
Verified virtualization: HvHost was Stopped, started it; vmcompute running; "Virtualization is not available" banner cleared
Set HvHost startup to Automatic
Tested off-VPN on phone hotspot, no change
Tested with NordVPN protocol switched and Threat Protection disabled, no change
Verified Cowork settings: Keep awake ON, Computer use enabled, Code permissions set to Bypass

Expected behavior: Dispatch desktop should register as online and process messages.
Actual behavior: Persistent offline status; messages either fail silently or return "Message couldn't be sent."
Related issues: #45962, #49545, #45937
Attachments: screenshots of offline state and Dispatch settings panel

<img width="1236" height="994" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/91312f0b-b956-441b-95fc-55fd402a166d" />

What Should Happen?

I should be able to access Claude Cowork Dispatch on my PC

Error Messages/Logs

Steps to Reproduce

1. open claude desktop
2. go to cowork tab
3. click dispatch
4. write something where it says ask claude anything
5. see message 'desktop appears offline. will run when it reconnects'
6. frustrate

Claude Model

None

Is this a regression?

Yes, this worked in a previous version

Last Working Version

_No response_

Claude Code Version

2.1.116

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

Windows

Terminal/Shell

PowerShell

Additional Information

_No response_