[BUG] Authentication Loop - Apple Private Relay <> Claude Desktop

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?

Bug Report: Apple Private Relay email prevents desktop login

Account: hr9tjd2kb9@privaterelay.appleid.com (Pro plan)

Issue: Unable to log in to Claude on desktop (web browser and desktop app) when account is registered to an Apple private relay email address.

Steps to reproduce:

1. Navigate to claude.ai/login on desktop
2. Enter Apple private relay email address
3. Click “Continue with email”

Expected behaviour: Login link sent to email, user authenticated into existing account.

Actual behaviour: Two failure modes observed:

• “There was an error sending you a login link” – Apple private relay blocks the magic link email from being delivered
• When using Sign in with Apple on desktop, the flow presents a “Let’s create your account” screen instead of recognising the existing account, risking duplicate account creation

Additional context:

• Login works correctly on the Claude iOS app via Sign in with Apple
• The correct email is being entered – verified by matching against account settings in the iOS app
• “Continue with Google” is not a viable workaround as the account was created via Apple ID
• The account has an active Pro plan and conversation history that must be preserved

Impact: Pro plan user completely locked out of desktop access.

What Should Happen?

Bug Report: Apple Private Relay email prevents desktop login

Account: hr9tjd2kb9@privaterelay.appleid.com (Pro plan)

Issue: Unable to log in to Claude on desktop (web browser and desktop app) when account is registered to an Apple private relay email address.

Steps to reproduce:

1. Navigate to claude.ai/login on desktop
2. Enter Apple private relay email address
3. Click “Continue with email”

Expected behaviour: Login link sent to email, user authenticated into existing account.

Actual behaviour: Two failure modes observed:

• “There was an error sending you a login link” – Apple private relay blocks the magic link email from being delivered
• When using Sign in with Apple on desktop, the flow presents a “Let’s create your account” screen instead of recognising the existing account, risking duplicate account creation

Additional context:

• Login works correctly on the Claude iOS app via Sign in with Apple
• The correct email is being entered – verified by matching against account settings in the iOS app
• “Continue with Google” is not a viable workaround as the account was created via Apple ID
• The account has an active Pro plan and conversation history that must be preserved

Impact: Pro plan user completely locked out of desktop access.

Error Messages/Logs

Steps to Reproduce

Bug Report: Apple Private Relay email prevents desktop login

Account: hr9tjd2kb9@privaterelay.appleid.com (Pro plan)

Issue: Unable to log in to Claude on desktop (web browser and desktop app) when account is registered to an Apple private relay email address.

Steps to reproduce:

1. Navigate to claude.ai/login on desktop
2. Enter Apple private relay email address
3. Click “Continue with email”

Expected behaviour: Login link sent to email, user authenticated into existing account.

Actual behaviour: Two failure modes observed:

• “There was an error sending you a login link” – Apple private relay blocks the magic link email from being delivered
• When using Sign in with Apple on desktop, the flow presents a “Let’s create your account” screen instead of recognising the existing account, risking duplicate account creation

Additional context:

• Login works correctly on the Claude iOS app via Sign in with Apple
• The correct email is being entered – verified by matching against account settings in the iOS app
• “Continue with Google” is not a viable workaround as the account was created via Apple ID
• The account has an active Pro plan and conversation history that must be preserved

Impact: Pro plan user completely locked out of desktop access.

Claude Model

None

Is this a regression?

Yes, this worked in a previous version

Last Working Version

Claude 1.11187.4 (584005) 2026-06-05T20:15:04.000Z

Claude Code Version

Claude 1.11187.4 (584005) 2026-06-05T20:15:04.000Z

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

macOS

Terminal/Shell

Terminal.app (macOS)

Additional Information

_No response_