[BUG] Claude on Windows continuously downloads tens of GB from downloads.claude.ai (69+ GB observed)

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?

Description

On Windows, Claude continuously downloads an extremely large amount of data from the host downloads.claude.ai. A network/traffic monitor shows roughly 69.66 GB downloaded against only ~1.19 MB uploaded for this host, and the download counter keeps climbing. This appears to be a runaway/looping download rather than a normal one-time update.

Environment

• OS: Windows (x64)
• Version: Claude_1.11187.4.0_x64
• Host generating traffic: downloads.claude.ai

Steps to Reproduce

1. Run Claude on Windows.
2. Monitor network traffic per-host (e.g. via a traffic/bandwidth monitor).
3. Observe the cumulative download volume for downloads.claude.ai.

Expected Behavior

Downloads (e.g. updates) should complete once and stop. Total transferred data should be bounded to the size of the actual update/content.

Actual Behavior

The download from downloads.claude.ai does not stop and accumulates to tens of GB (69.66 GB observed and counting), with negligible upload (~1.19 MB).

Additional Notes

Note: The reported version string Claude_1.11187.4.0_x64 corresponds to the Claude desktop app installer. If this issue is out of scope for the Claude Code repository, please redirect to the appropriate channel.

Screenshot of the observed traffic can be attached.

What Should Happen?

Downloads from downloads.claude.ai (such as app updates) should complete once and then stop. The total amount of data transferred should be bounded to the size of the actual update or content, not accumulate indefinitely into tens of gigabytes.

Error Messages/Logs

Steps to Reproduce

1. Install and run Claude on Windows (version Claude_1.11187.4.0_x64).
2. Open a per-host network/bandwidth monitor (e.g. a traffic monitor tool that breaks down usage by domain).
3. Leave Claude running and observe the cumulative download volume for the host downloads.claude.ai.
4. Observe that the download counter keeps increasing without stopping, reaching tens of GB (69.66 GB observed) while upload stays around 1.19 MB.

Claude Model

None

Is this a regression?

Yes, this worked in a previous version

Last Working Version

_No response_

Claude Code Version

2.1.150

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

Windows

Terminal/Shell

Other

Additional Information

_No response_