[Bug] Linux: _globalLastSpawn is not defined — Workspace fails to start

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?

What's wrong
When opening Claude Desktop on Linux and navigating to the Workspace/Cowork tab, the workspace fails to start immediately with the error:

Fehler beim Starten von Claudes Arbeitsbereich — _globalLastSpawn is not defined
(Error starting Claude's workspace — _globalLastSpawn is not defined)

The built-in "Reinstall workspace" option does not resolve the issue. Restarting the app or the computer also has no effect.

What Should Happen?

2026-05-27 19:37:39 [error] Failed to run onQuitCleanup(cowork-vm-shutdown): ReferenceError: _globalLastSpawn is not defined

Error Messages/Logs

bash# Install asar tool
npm install -g @electron/asar

# Extract
asar extract /usr/lib/claude-desktop/node_modules/electron/dist/resources/app.asar /tmp/claude-asar

# Add the missing declaration
sed -i '1s/^/var _globalLastSpawn;\n/' /tmp/claude-asar/.vite/build/index.js

# Backup original
sudo cp /usr/lib/claude-desktop/node_modules/electron/dist/resources/app.asar \
        /usr/lib/claude-desktop/node_modules/electron/dist/resources/app.asar.backup

# Repack and replace
asar pack /tmp/claude-asar /tmp/app-patched.asar
sudo cp /tmp/app-patched.asar \
        /usr/lib/claude-desktop/node_modules/electron/dist/resources/app.asar
After restarting Claude Desktop, the workspace starts successfully.

Steps to Reproduce

1. Install Claude Desktop on Linux (e.g. via the claude-desktop-debian repackage)
2. Open Claude Desktop
3. Open or start any chat that uses the Workspace (Cowork/bash environment)
4. Observe the error banner immediately

Claude Model

Sonnet (default)

Is this a regression?

Yes, this worked in a previous version

Last Working Version

_No response_

Claude Code Version

1.9255.0 (a22af1)

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

Ubuntu/Debian Linux

Terminal/Shell

Other

Additional Information

bug-report.md