[BUG] Claude for PowerPoint add-in disabled when comments panel opens on slide with existing comment thread

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?

Title: [BUG] Claude for PowerPoint add-in disabled when comments panel opens on slide with existing comment thread
Environment:

Microsoft PowerPoint Desktop (Microsoft 365)
Windows
Claude for PowerPoint Beta Add-in
File type: .pptx with IRM access restrictions and existing comment threads

Reproducible Steps:

Open .pptx file in PowerPoint desktop
Navigate to a slide with an existing comment thread
Comments panel opens automatically upon slide selection
Claude add-in in ribbon becomes grayed out and disabled
Closing the comments panel does not restore the add-in
Re-launching the add-in from the ribbon does not restore functionality
Saving, closing, and reopening the file does not restore functionality
Only resolution: delete the comment thread entirely and reopen the file in desktop application

Impact: Functional blocker. Reviewing comment threads, responding, and resolving comments while using the Claude add-in to revise slide content is a core workflow. Current behavior forces deletion of comment threads to restore add-in functionality, resulting in permanent loss of the review record.
Expected Behavior: Comments panel and Claude add-in task pane should coexist without either disabling the other.

What Should Happen?

The Claude for PowerPoint add-in should remain active and fully functional in the ribbon regardless of whether the comments panel is open, closed, or auto-triggered by navigating to a slide with an existing comment thread. Both panels should be able to coexist simultaneously within the same PowerPoint session without either disabling the other. Users should be able to review, respond to, and resolve comment threads on a slide while using the Claude add-in to make revisions to that same slide — without having to delete comment threads or reopen the file to restore add-in functionality.

Error Messages/Logs

Steps to Reproduce

Open a .pptx file in PowerPoint desktop application that contains an existing comment thread on one or more slides
Navigate to a slide that has an existing comment thread
Observe that the comments panel opens automatically upon slide selection
Observe that the Claude for PowerPoint add-in in the ribbon becomes grayed out and disabled
Close the comments panel
Observe that the Claude add-in remains grayed out and does not restore
Attempt to re-launch the Claude add-in directly from the ribbon
Observe that the add-in does not restore functionality
Save the file, close PowerPoint, and reopen the file in the desktop application
Observe that the add-in remains disabled
The only successful workaround found was to delete the comment thread entirely and reopen the file in the desktop application

Claude Model

Opus

Is this a regression?

No, this never worked

Last Working Version

_No response_

Claude Code Version

N/A — This is not a Claude Code issue. This bug affects the Claude for PowerPoint Office Add-in (beta). Filed here as there is no dedicated repository for the Office add-ins.

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

Windows

Terminal/Shell

Terminal.app (macOS)

Additional Information

_No response_