macOS: version-numbered binary name (e.g. `2.1.196`) is confusing in permission prompts — suggest `claude-code-<version>`
Summary
The Claude Code CLI installs each release as an executable named after its bare version number (e.g. ~/.local/share/claude/versions/2.1.196). Because macOS permission prompts and Activity Monitor display the executable's filename, users see an opaque process named something like 2.1.196 requesting access to sensitive resources — external/removable drives, Documents, Full Disk Access, etc.
This is confusing and looks alarming: a bare version number asking for access to an external SSD reads like potential malware to most users, with no indication that it's Claude Code.
Steps to reproduce
- Install/run Claude Code on macOS (version installed at
~/.local/share/claude/versions/<version>). - Start a session that touches an external/removable volume (or any TCC-protected location).
- Observe the macOS permission prompt — it identifies the process only as
<version>(e.g.2.1.196).
Also visible via:
ps aux | grep 2.1.196
/Users/<user>/.local/share/claude/versions/2.1.196 --bg-spare ...
/Users/<user>/.local/share/claude/versions/2.1.196 --bg-pty-host ...
Expected
The binary name should clearly identify the app, e.g. claude-code-2.1.196 (or claude-code with the version tracked separately), so permission dialogs and process listings read as claude-code-2.1.196 instead of a bare 2.1.196.
Why it matters
- Security-conscious users can't tell a legitimate Claude Code helper from something suspicious.
- Background helper processes (
--bg-spare,--bg-pty-host) compound the confusion. - A clear, branded binary name improves trust and reduces support/security questions.
Environment
- Platform: macOS (Darwin 25.5.0)
- Claude Code version: 2.1.196
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