[BUG] "Clear Cache & Restart" signs out of account instead of clearing cache and restarting app (Windows)

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?

Describe the bug:
Using Help → Troubleshoot → Clear Cache & Restart signs the user out of their account completely instead of only clearing the app cache and restarting. Expected behavior is to clear cache and reload the app while preserving the authenticated session.

Actual Behavior:
User is fully signed out after the operation. Auth session is lost, requiring re-authentication via Google Sign-In.

What Should Happen?

Expected Behavior:
App clears its cache and restarts while keeping the user logged in, session/auth tokens should not be affected by a cache clear operation.

Error Messages/Logs

Steps to Reproduce

To Reproduce:

• Sign in to Claude using Google Sign-In
• Navigate to Help → Troubleshoot → Clear Cache & Restart
• Click the option
• App restarts — user is signed out and returned to the login screen

Claude Model

None

Is this a regression?

No, this never worked

Last Working Version

_No response_

Claude Code Version

Claude 1.5354.0 (9a9e3d) 2026-04-29T01:14:34.000Z

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

Windows

Terminal/Shell

Windows Terminal

Additional Information

Additional Notes:
Cache and authentication tokens are separate concerns and should be handled independently. A cache clear should target temporary app data only, not stored credentials or session tokens. This is likely caused by auth tokens being stored in the same storage layer that gets wiped during the cache clear operation.

Reference / Comparison:
Postman (which shares the same underlying base UI) performs the identical Clear Cache & Restart operation correctly, it clears the cache and reloads the app without signing the user out. This confirms the expected behavior is achievable and that Claude's implementation is likely clearing auth-related storage (e.g. localStorage, sessionStorage, or cookies) alongside the intended cache.

<img width="887" height="1001" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/7114240a-90bb-4af3-9605-19d397baa3e2" />