[BUG] Dispatch: messages marked "read" never reach coworkd backend (Windows 11)

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?

Dispatch (Beta) on Claude Desktop for Windows accepts messages but never
processes them. Messages typed in the Dispatch thread are marked "Read"
in the UI and show an infinite spinner; no response is ever produced.
The mobile app shows the desktop as "offline" / stuck on "reconnecting".

Root cause appears to be a broken handoff between the Dispatch bridge
layer and the coworkd backend: the backend initializes correctly and
reports "connected, waiting for commands", but messages sent from the UI
never reach it (zero new backend log activity), even though the UI marks
them as Read.

What Should Happen?

The message should be dispatched to the coworkd backend, a session should
start, and Claude should respond. The paired mobile device should show the
desktop as online and allow sending commands.

Error Messages/Logs

coworkd live log (C:\ProgramData\Claude\Logs\coworkd\) after a clean full
PC restart — backend initializes fine then freezes, receiving no commands:

  [coworkd] reachability check passed (status=404)
  [coworkd] connected, waiting for commands
  [coworkd] installed SDK binary v2.1.170 to /usr/local/bin/claude
  [coworkd] SDK binary v2.1.170 already installed, skipping

After this point the log stays frozen. Three messages sent from the UI
afterwards ("test connessione", "verifica connessione", "ciao") produced
ZERO new backend log entries — no session, no mounts. The commands never
reached coworkd, despite being marked "Read" in the UI.

Steps to Reproduce

1. Open Claude Desktop > Cowork > Dispatch on Windows 11.
2. Ensure "Keep active" is ON and a mobile device is paired.
3. Type any short message (e.g. "ciao") in the Dispatch input and send.
4. The message is marked "Read", a spinner appears, and no response ever

arrives. coworkd backend log shows no new activity.

Claude Model

None

Is this a regression?

No, this never worked

Last Working Version

_No response_

Claude Code Version

N/A – Claude Desktop 1.11847.5.0 (MSIX), Cowork SDK binary v2.1.170

Platform

Other

Operating System

Windows

Terminal/Shell

Other

Additional Information

Feature: Dispatch (Beta) in Claude Desktop > Cowork.

Already ruled out (none fixed it):

• Orphan/zombie processes (all fresh after a full PC restart)
• Network block (HTTPS to api.anthropic.com reachable, returns 404)
• Virtualization (vmcompute/HCS Running, VM mounts Plan9 shares OK)
• Corrupted session state (bridge-state.json cleared and regenerated clean)
• Version mismatch (updated to latest, SDK v2.1.170)
• Full PC restart

Net result: backend healthy and idle ("connected, waiting for commands");
the Dispatch bridge accepts and "reads" the message but never dispatches
it to the backend. Reproducible across restarts.