Bug: Session crashes when sending image to non-vision model

Resolved 💬 1 comment Opened May 24, 2026 by Jinzhi123 Closed Jun 24, 2026

Description

When sending an image to a backend model that does not support vision (e.g., a custom model via a custom API endpoint configured via ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL), the entire Claude Code session becomes unresponsive. Subsequent text-only messages also fail until the session is restarted.

Steps to Reproduce

  1. Configure Claude Code to use a non-vision model via custom API endpoint:

``json
{
"env": {
"ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL": "https://custom-api.example.com/anthropic",
"ANTHROPIC_MODEL": "non-vision-model"
}
}
``

  1. Send an image to the model (paste or attach an image file)
  2. The request fails (expected - model does not support images)
  3. Bug: The entire session becomes unresponsive
  4. Send a text-only message - it also fails

Expected Behavior

  • Image request should fail gracefully with a user-friendly error message
  • The session should remain functional for subsequent text-only requests
  • User should be informed that the current model does not support image inputs

Actual Behavior

  • Session crashes completely
  • All subsequent requests (including text-only) fail
  • User must restart Claude Code to recover

Environment

  • Claude Code version: 2.1.150
  • OS: Windows 10
  • Backend: Custom model via third-party API endpoint

Impact

This is a poor user experience, especially for users using custom/non-Anthropic model endpoints. The error handling should gracefully degrade when a model does not support certain input types.

Suggested Fix

  1. Catch image-related API errors (e.g., 400/422 responses indicating unsupported input)
  2. Display a clear error message to the user
  3. Keep the session alive for subsequent requests
  4. Optionally: detect model capabilities on first use and warn users about unsupported features

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