[BUG] Native Windows CLI crashes at loader init (0xC0000005) before entry point — Win11 26200, i9-13900
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?
Body: Fresh irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex install (v2.1.183, ~/.local/bin/claude.exe). Every invocation (--version, -p, --bare) exits immediately with -1073741819 (0xC0000005), zero stdout/stderr, no Windows Error Reporting event.
Process Monitor shows the process dying inside the Windows loader — after ntdll.dll, before kernel32.dll, with 0 CPU time (entry point never runs).
Ruled out with evidence: Mark-of-the-Web, Smart App Control, WDAC/CodeIntegrity, AppLocker, AppInit_DLLs, IFEO/SilentProcessExit, per-app + system process mitigations (defaults), --bare, Bitdefender (real-time+ATD off, full exclusions, reboot), and all third-party drivers (still crashes in Safe Mode). CPU i9-13900 (AVX2/AVX-512 present). Binary is PE32+, DYNAMIC_BASE+NX+HIGH_ENTROPY_VA, has .reloc.
Env: Windows 11 Pro build 26200, x64. The Claude Desktop app's bundled runtime works fine on the same machine — only the standalone binary fails.
What Should Happen?
It should open!
Error Messages/Logs
Body: Fresh irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex install (v2.1.183, ~/.local/bin/claude.exe). Every invocation (--version, -p, --bare) exits immediately with -1073741819 (0xC0000005), zero stdout/stderr, no Windows Error Reporting event.
Process Monitor shows the process dying inside the Windows loader — after ntdll.dll, before kernel32.dll, with 0 CPU time (entry point never runs).
Ruled out with evidence: Mark-of-the-Web, Smart App Control, WDAC/CodeIntegrity, AppLocker, AppInit_DLLs, IFEO/SilentProcessExit, per-app + system process mitigations (defaults), --bare, Bitdefender (real-time+ATD off, full exclusions, reboot), and all third-party drivers (still crashes in Safe Mode). CPU i9-13900 (AVX2/AVX-512 present). Binary is PE32+, DYNAMIC_BASE+NX+HIGH_ENTROPY_VA, has .reloc.
Env: Windows 11 Pro build 26200, x64. The Claude Desktop app's bundled runtime works fine on the same machine — only the standalone binary fails.
Steps to Reproduce
Body: Fresh irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex install (v2.1.183, ~/.local/bin/claude.exe). Every invocation (--version, -p, --bare) exits immediately with -1073741819 (0xC0000005), zero stdout/stderr, no Windows Error Reporting event.
Process Monitor shows the process dying inside the Windows loader — after ntdll.dll, before kernel32.dll, with 0 CPU time (entry point never runs).
Ruled out with evidence: Mark-of-the-Web, Smart App Control, WDAC/CodeIntegrity, AppLocker, AppInit_DLLs, IFEO/SilentProcessExit, per-app + system process mitigations (defaults), --bare, Bitdefender (real-time+ATD off, full exclusions, reboot), and all third-party drivers (still crashes in Safe Mode). CPU i9-13900 (AVX2/AVX-512 present). Binary is PE32+, DYNAMIC_BASE+NX+HIGH_ENTROPY_VA, has .reloc.
Env: Windows 11 Pro build 26200, x64. The Claude Desktop app's bundled runtime works fine on the same machine — only the standalone binary fails.
Claude Model
None
Is this a regression?
Yes, this worked in a previous version
Last Working Version
_No response_
Claude Code Version
Unable to!
Platform
Anthropic API
Operating System
Windows
Terminal/Shell
PowerShell
Additional Information
Body: Fresh irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex install (v2.1.183, ~/.local/bin/claude.exe). Every invocation (--version, -p, --bare) exits immediately with -1073741819 (0xC0000005), zero stdout/stderr, no Windows Error Reporting event.
Process Monitor shows the process dying inside the Windows loader — after ntdll.dll, before kernel32.dll, with 0 CPU time (entry point never runs).
Ruled out with evidence: Mark-of-the-Web, Smart App Control, WDAC/CodeIntegrity, AppLocker, AppInit_DLLs, IFEO/SilentProcessExit, per-app + system process mitigations (defaults), --bare, Bitdefender (real-time+ATD off, full exclusions, reboot), and all third-party drivers (still crashes in Safe Mode). CPU i9-13900 (AVX2/AVX-512 present). Binary is PE32+, DYNAMIC_BASE+NX+HIGH_ENTROPY_VA, has .reloc.
Env: Windows 11 Pro build 26200, x64. The Claude Desktop app's bundled runtime works fine on the same machine — only the standalone binary fails.