Windows 11: Claude Code interactive claude command frozen in all terminals; non‑interactive and doctor work

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?

Claude Code’s interactive mode is completely frozen on my Windows 11 machine. Running claude shows the banner / welcome but never accepts any keyboard input. I cannot type commands or messages, and /feedback is unusable. Non‑interactive commands and claude doctor work.

Environment

• OS: Windows 11 (64‑bit)
• Install method: npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
• Claude Code CLI version: as reported by claude doctor (currently shows npm‑global, 2.1.112; stable 2.1.123, latest 2.1.133)
• Terminal shells tried:

-- Windows Terminal: PowerShell 7
-- Windows Terminal: Command Prompt (cmd.exe)
-- Git Bash
-- Classic PowerShell (outside Windows Terminal)
-- Classic cmd.exe

• VS Code: latest stable, Windows

Auth / status

• claude auth login succeeds.
• claude auth status shows loggedIn: true, authMethod: "claude.ai", subscriptionType: "max", with my org ID.
• claude doctor runs to completion and reports no critical errors, only an MCP warning (playwright on Windows needing cmd /c), which is unrelated.
• Claude status page now shows “Fully operational” (it was down the previous day).

Workarounds already tried (none worked)

• Set CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_ALTERNATE_SCREEN=1 and then ran claude in PowerShell and cmd.exe.
• Set TERM=dumb plus CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_ALTERNATE_SCREEN=1 and ran claude.
• Tried multiple terminal hosts and shells:

-- Windows Terminal (PowerShell 7 and cmd.exe).
-- Classic PowerShell and classic cmd.exe.
-- VS Code integrated terminal.
-- Git Bash

• Killed all stuck node/Claude processes from Task Manager before restarting.
• Verified non‑interactive commands:

-- claude doctor works.
-- claude auth status works.
-- claude ask "test" also freezes.

• Renamed C:\Users\<user>\.claude to force fresh config and re‑auth; issue persists.
• Checked that there is only one CLI install (npm global) and used that path.

What Should Happen?

Running claude should open an interactive session where I can type commands and questions.

What actually happens
The TUI / interactive mode is completely frozen on startup in every Windows terminal I’ve tried, with no visible error message, so I can’t even run /feedback to report from within the tool.

Impact

• I cannot use Claude Code’s interactive terminal UI at all on this Windows machine.
• I also can’t use /feedback or /bug, so I’m filing this report manually.

Error Messages/Logs

None, simply freezes

Steps to Reproduce

Steps to reproduce

1. Open a terminal on Windows 11 (PowerShell 7, Windows Terminal).
2. Run:

claude auth login
claude auth status
claude doctor

All of these succeed.

1. Run:

claude

1. Observe: the CLI appears to start (screen clears or shows a banner), but the session is completely frozen:

• No > prompt.
• Keyboard input is ignored.
• I cannot type /help, /feedback, or any message.
• I must close the terminal or kill the process from Task Manager.

Claude Model

Opus

Is this a regression?

Yes, this worked in a previous version

Last Working Version

_No response_

Claude Code Version

2.1.112 (Claude Code)

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

Windows

Terminal/Shell

VS Code integrated terminal

Additional Information

• This continued even after Claude’s status page returned to “Fully operational.”
• Browser‑based Claude (Claude.ai) and my Max subscription work fine.
• Logs from the VS Code extension show repeated Error: Query closed before response received and “OAuth tokens found in secure storage,” but CLI auth and doctor are healthy.