[BUG] Setting only disableAutoUpdates locks Cowork and third-party inference panes as org-managed (macOS com.anthropic.claudefordesktop)
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?
On macOS, deploying a managed-preferences profile to the com.anthropic.claudefordesktop domain with only disableAutoUpdates set causes the Cowork and third-party inference settings panes to render greyed out with "This configuration is managed by your organisation, contact your IT administrator" — even though no key governing those panes (secureVmFeaturesEnabled, etc.) is configured.
Enforcement scope appears to be the entire preference domain rather than per-key. The presence of any one managed key flips all governed panes into their org-managed locked state, regardless of which key was set.
Environment:
macOS 26.5
Claude Desktop 1.9659.1
MDM: Jamf Pro, delivered as a configuration profile to the com.anthropic.claudefordesktop domain
What Should Happen?
Only auto-update behavior should be enforced. The Cowork and third-party inference panes should remain user-controllable, since no key governing them was set. Enforcement should be per-key: a pane should only show as org-managed when a key actually governing that pane is configured — not because an unrelated key (disableAutoUpdates) exists in the domain.
Error Messages/Logs
N/A — no error output; UI behavior only.
Steps to Reproduce
- Deploy a configuration profile to the
com.anthropic.claudefordesktop
preference domain (via Jamf Pro) with a single key:
<key>disableAutoUpdates</key>
<true/>
- Confirm only that key is present:
defaults read /Library/Managed\ Preferences/com.anthropic.claudefordesktop
Output shows disableAutoUpdates = 1; and no other keys.
- Open Claude Desktop → Settings → Cowork / third-party inference connections.
- Both panes render greyed out with "This configuration is managed by your
organisation, contact your IT administrator," despite no key governing
those panes being set.
Claude Model
None
Is this a regression?
I don't know
Last Working Version
_No response_
Claude Code Version
Claude Desktop 1.9659.1 (n/a — Claude for Desktop bug, not CLI)
Platform
Anthropic API
Operating System
macOS
Terminal/Shell
Terminal.app (macOS)
Additional Information
defaults read confirms only one key is present (payload type is a correct
plist boolean, not an integer):
$ defaults read /Library/Managed\ Preferences/com.anthropic.claudefordesktop
{
disableAutoUpdates = 1;
}
Requested fix: per-key enforcement scope (see "What Should Happen?").
<img width="1625" height="713" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/8906858f-f8cb-4788-a68f-0c2e038dc046" />
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