Image paste (Ctrl+V) still broken on Windows in Claude Code v2.1.131

Summary

Pasting an image from the clipboard (Ctrl+V) into Claude Code's TUI does nothing on Windows. Affects Windows native, WSL Ubuntu (X11), and tested terminal hosts (Cursor, Windows Terminal, conhost). Workaround paths exist (Alt+V on some setups, manual file paths via shotpath / Python clipboard watcher) but they are workarounds, not a fix.

Why a new issue

#4272 tracked this and was auto-closed by the inactivity bot on 2026-01-24 despite active reports of the same behavior in the comments (and explicit replies asking the bot to keep it open). The closed issue is now locked. Per the bot's own template: "please file a new issue and reference this one if it's relevant" — that's what this issue is.

Reproduction

1. Use Windows 11 (or WSL Ubuntu under X11) with Claude Code installed.
2. Take a screenshot with Win+Shift+S so a PNG is on the clipboard. Verify the clipboard has the image by pasting it into another app (e.g. Word, Paint, browser textarea) — the image appears.
3. In Claude Code's prompt, press Ctrl+V.

Expected: Claude Code attaches the image (as it does on macOS) and the model can see it.

Actual: Nothing happens. No file gets attached. No error message in the TUI. No log entry that I can see.

Environment

• Platform: win32
• OS: Windows 11
• Claude Code version: 2.1.131 (CLI)
• Terminal hosts tried: Cursor 1.x, Windows Terminal, conhost
• Shell: PowerShell 5.1

Same behavior reported by others

Quoting comments on #4272 that span ~6 months and are still unresolved:

• @hakonhagland (Jul 2025, Ubuntu 24.04 WSL on Windows 11)
• @10eputzen (Aug 2025, WSL — uses drag-and-drop into the repo as a workaround)
• @deadeuzesse (Sep 2025, "Ctrl+V stopped working ~10 days ago, Alt+V now works")
• @PierrunoYT, @khitab (multiple confirmations through Dec 2025)
• @hemangjoshi37a (Nov 2025) — works under Wayland, not under X11

Known workarounds (none of them are great)

• Alt+V instead of Ctrl+V — works for some users (per @deadeuzesse), didn't reliably work for me
• shotpath.exe — third-party Windows app that puts the screenshot path on clipboard so Ctrl+V pastes a path string (not the image)
• Python ImageGrab watcher (posted by @titaniumshovel on #4272) — same idea as shotpath but no exe needed
• Drag-and-drop the file into the TUI — sometimes works, depends on terminal host

Why this matters

Image attachments are a first-class feature on macOS Claude Code. Windows users can't use it without third-party tooling. For multimodal workflows (UI screenshots, screenshots of error dialogs, design references) this is a real productivity gap that's been open for over six months across multiple bug reports.

Asks

1. Fix Ctrl+V clipboard image detection on Windows native and WSL.
2. If a fix is non-trivial, document a supported workaround in the official Claude Code docs (currently the only docs are scattered across closed GitHub issues).
3. Consider exempting platform-specific bug reports from the inactivity auto-close bot, or at least keeping them open while there are recent comments. The bot's behavior is also tracked in #16497.

Cross-reference

• Closed predecessor: #4272 (locked, multiple unresolved comments)
• Related (bot auto-close behavior): #16497