[BUG] Claude Desktop crashes repeatedly on Windows — 403 from claude.ai triggers Turnstile → GPU process crash loop (affects multiple users, worsening after Fable 5 update)

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?

Claude Desktop on Windows crashes within 10 seconds of launch in a continuous loop, making the app completely unusable.

The crash affects multiple users in our organization simultaneously, all with different GPU hardware (ranging from legacy to modern cards), confirming this is NOT a GPU driver issue.

The problem started after the Fable 5 / app update (v1.12603.1) and has been getting significantly worse each day. Even after a full reinstall, the app crashes within ~10 seconds. Reinstalling repeatedly does not help.

After each crash, chrome-native-host.exe is left file-locked (EBUSY), preventing the app from restarting without a reinstall — which then crashes again immediately.

What Should Happen?

Claude Desktop should launch and remain stable. If a 403 or Cloudflare challenge response is received from claude.ai, the app should handle it gracefully without crashing the GPU process.

Error Messages/Logs

From %APPDATA%\Claude\logs\main.log — crash sequence repeats multiple times per day:

[info]  Navigation to https://claude.ai/... failed with status code 403
[info]  Turnstile iframe detected. Removing error overlay.
[info]  GPU process gone: { reason: 'crashed', exitCode: 101457950, serviceName: 'GPU' }
[error] EBUSY: resource busy or locked, copyfile
        'C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\Claude_1.12603.1.0_x64__pzs8sxrjxfjjc\app\resources\chrome-native-host.exe'
     -> 'C:\Users\...\AppData\Roaming\Claude\ChromeNativeHost\chrome-native-host.exe'

From %APPDATA%\Claude\logs\unknown-window.log:

[error] Electron sandboxed_renderer.bundle.js script failed to run
[error] TypeError: Cannot destructure property 'preloadScripts' of 'binding.startupData' as it is null.

Full crash cascade observed on 2026-06-15:
[error] Network Service process gone (reason=crashed, exitCode=-1) outside app quit
[error] Main webview render process gone: { reason: 'crashed', exitCode: -1 }
[info]  GPU process gone: { type: 'GPU', reason: 'crashed', exitCode: -1 }

Steps to Reproduce

1. Install Claude Desktop v1.12603.1 (Windows MSIX) on Windows 10/11
2. Launch the app
3. Within ~10 seconds, the app crashes silently
4. Attempting to relaunch fails — app process appears in Task Manager but no window opens
5. Full reinstall required, but crash repeats immediately after reinstall

Root cause pattern observed in logs:

• App receives HTTP 403 from claude.ai
• Cloudflare Turnstile challenge iframe is rendered
• Rendering Turnstile crashes the Electron GPU process (exitCode: 101457950)
• chrome-native-host.exe is left file-locked, blocking all subsequent launches

Claude Model

Sonnet (default)

Is this a regression?

Yes, this worked in a previous version

Last Working Version

_No response_

Claude Code Version

1.12...

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

Windows

Terminal/Shell

PowerShell

Additional Information

_No response_