[BUG] "Interactive mode freezes on Windows - no input response after initial setup"

UPDATE - Issue Resolved: Root Cause Analysis and Critical Diagnostic Bug Found

Resolution Summary

The interactive mode freezing issue has been resolved, but the troubleshooting process revealed a critical bug in Claude Code's diagnostic messaging system that provides incorrect troubleshooting advice to users.

Timeline of Events

1. Initial Problem: v1.0.105 exhibited complete interactive mode freezing after accepting permissions
2. Extensive Troubleshooting: Multiple installation methods, terminals, compatibility flags attempted
3. Successful Downgrade: v1.0.102 worked properly with full functionality
4. Auto-Update: System automatically upgraded back to v1.0.105
5. Resolution: v1.0.105 now works perfectly - no freezing, full functionality restored

Root Cause Identified

The issue was environmental/configuration conflicts, not a software bug in v1.0.105:

• Multiple conflicting installations: npm global + native Windows installer
• PATH conflicts: System executing wrong installation
• Stuck background processes: Bun runtime interfering with terminal interface
• Installation corruption: From migration between installation methods

CRITICAL BUG: Incorrect Diagnostic Messages

Claude Code's own diagnostic system provides harmful troubleshooting advice.

When experiencing issues, Claude Code consistently displays:

⚠ C:\Users\aagui\.local\bin is not in your PATH
⚠ Add it by running: setx PATH "%PATH%;C:\Users\aagui\.local\bin"

This advice is counterproductive:

• .local\bin contained the problematic/corrupted installation causing freezing
• Following this advice perpetuates the broken installation
• Working installation was in C:\Users\aagui\AppData\Roaming\npm
• Users following Claude Code's own suggestions may unknowingly configure broken installations

How Auto-Update Fixed the Issue

The auto-update process appears to include cleanup functionality that:

• Properly cleaned up conflicting installations
• Reset configuration to clean state
• Cleared stuck background processes
• Reinstalled with proper system integration

This suggests v1.0.105 itself was never the problem - corrupted installation state was the culprit.

Impact on Other Users

High impact bug: Users experiencing similar freezing issues may:

1. Follow Claude Code's diagnostic suggestions
2. Inadvertently configure their PATH to use broken installations
3. Perpetuate the problem instead of resolving it
4. Conclude Claude Code is fundamentally broken on Windows

Recommendations

For Users Experiencing Freezing:

1. Do NOT follow the .local\bin PATH advice if experiencing issues
2. Check Task Manager for stuck bun.exe or claude.exe processes and kill them
3. Verify only one Claude Code installation method is active
4. Allow auto-update to complete - it may resolve configuration conflicts
5. If multiple installations exist, completely remove all and perform clean install

For Development Team:

1. Fix diagnostic messaging system to provide accurate troubleshooting advice
2. Add detection for multiple installations with appropriate warnings
3. Improve auto-update cleanup to prevent installation conflicts
4. Consider adding diagnostic command to detect and resolve common configuration issues

Technical Environment

• Platform: Windows 10.0.26100.4946
• Terminals tested: Command Prompt, PowerShell, Windows Terminal
• Final working version: 1.0.105 (Claude Code)
• Installation method: npm global (@anthropic-ai/claude-code)

Current Status

• Interactive mode fully functional
• Drag-and-drop file uploads working
• Large file processing (695KB+) working
• All functionality restored

The troubleshooting process revealed this is primarily a configuration/diagnostic issue rather than a core software bug, but the incorrect diagnostic messaging represents a significant usability problem that should be prioritized for fixing.

Experiencing the exact same issue. Claude Code periodically freezes so severely that it's impossible to even type characters from the keyboard. The lag is unbearable - keystrokes take several seconds to register, making the
tool practically unusable during these freeze periods.

This happens randomly but frequently throughout sessions, regardless of project size or complexity. The freezing affects all input, not just @ script references.

Additionally, there's no way to exit with ESC after successfully creating a subagent - the interface becomes unresponsive and you have to wait for it to timeout or force close the terminal.

Windows 10, latest Claude Code version 1.0.105 - 1.0.107. The performance degradation is severe enough to significantly impact productivity.

Experiencing the exact same issue. Claude Code periodically freezes so severely that it's impossible to even type characters from the keyboard. The lag is unbearable - keystrokes take several seconds to register, making the tool practically unusable during these freeze periods. This happens randomly but frequently throughout sessions, regardless of project size or complexity. The freezing affects all input, not just @ script references. Additionally, there's no way to exit with ESC after successfully creating a subagent - the interface becomes unresponsive and you have to wait for it to timeout or force close the terminal. Windows 10, latest Claude Code version 1.0.105 - 1.0.107. The performance degradation is severe enough to significantly impact productivity.

Take a look at my second reply and see if this works for you. Use web based claude to help you troubleshoot. I tried rolling back to 1.0.102 and disabling auto update then it still auto updated to 1.0.105 but then everything worked. For some reason with the auto update, claude code is running off of bun instead of node.js which messed everything up.

Can you share more info about your confoigurations? Thanks in advance!

• Running directly in Windows Terminal or via an IDE terminal?
• Did you see this starting in a particular version of Claude Code?
• If so, consider mitigating by downgrading and setting DISABLE_AUTOUPDATER env var (can use ~/.claude/settings.json)
• What's your installation method - npm or native?

I think this happens on native windows due to it spamming terminal control sequences to clear it, making it completely unusable most of the time a new session is started for up to a minute or so. Frustrating doesn't even begin to describe how utterly annoying this is. Win11, running on a regular vscode terminal (not via extension). I think there needs to be an option to disable clearing the terminal when starting a session. For now I'm forced to keep at least one session around and manage it with /clear. This has always happened since non-wsl windows support was released, and regardless of installation method.

The reason I think it's due to terminal control sequences is because it's not just freezing, but when it starts working again the input buffer is full of invisible or whitespace characters that i have to either delete or ctrl+c to remove, and whatever you type gets added at the end, hidden.

Im encountering the same issue now.
Running version 1.0.109 on a win11 (native install), when launching claude code (via windows terminal, ide terminal, vscode cc extension) i cannot type anything in the input box. only way that is working atm for me is to run claude code with the skip dangerous command..

Have the same problem:

Running version 1.0.110 on a win11 (native install), when launching claude code (via windows terminal, ide terminal, vscode cc extension) i cannot type anything in the input box.

Still reproducing this here. the install delivered by npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code works fine, but it looks like auto-update or claude desktop or something is deploying this "native" version to c:\users\name\\.local, and that freezes up. Renaming the subfolders here forces it to use the npm version and work correctly, but it still complains on startup that "installMethod is native"

Okay I currently cant use claude code whatsoever even with running a subfolder to focus the load. Claude code is now completely unusable.

You can try to hit Enter before entering any data, it works for me.

• Can folks share findings from Task Manager - are there "stuck" bun.exe process or claude.exe processes, are they "Not responding", consuming CPU, are there other processes of note running?
• Are you signed in with a Claude account with subscription, or an Anthropic Console account?

You can update your %UserProfile%\.claude.json file's installMethod to "global" if you do not want the warning text about native installation.

Update: We've got a fix coming in 1.0.118. Alternately, temporarily downgrade to 1.0.113.

Resolved in 1.0.119

For me this was fixed everywhere except in vscode terminals on windows (when connected via remote ssh it works just fine). Seems slightly better, but still spam of invisible characters on launch that you have to delete to be able to type anything, often completely unresponsive especially after continuing a session.

First vid is with a fresh terminal, second is with a terminal that already had some input. If the terminal buffer had anything before starting claude, it gets a lot worse (notice the "? for shortcut" missing in the second video after the first response, which indicates that there's some input already). I think it might be interpreting backspace as a character rather than being invisible characters in the buffer? idk

Current version: 1.0.126

https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/235ac758-7194-4627-adda-25cc8a541bc8

https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/1f20145a-5152-4615-bf4d-f084c0351bd9

This issue has been automatically locked since it was closed and has not had any activity for 7 days. If you're experiencing a similar issue, please file a new issue and reference this one if it's relevant.