[BUG]

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?

Environment: MacBook Pro (2021, M1 Pro), macOS, Claude Desktop v1.18286.0 (built 2026-07-02), confirmed native Apple Silicon (not Rosetta), personal paid account.

What's wrong: The Cowork tab is missing from the top-level navigation. Only two tabs appear: Home and Code. Home has absorbed Cowork's features (New Task, Projects, Artifacts, Scheduled, Dispatch). On two Mac Minis signed into the same account, three tabs appear as documented: Home, Cowork, Code.

Impact: A Cowork Project ("AI ARCHITECTURE_2") with 16 saved sessions was created under the Cowork tab on another machine. With no Cowork tab on this install, those project sessions cannot be accessed. Starting new Cowork tasks via Home → New Task works, so the underlying functionality is present — only the Cowork tab/Projects view is missing.
Already tried (no change): app restart, full sign-out/sign-in, window resize check. Ruled out: outdated build, Rosetta, account mismatch.
Related reports: #50722, #49428, #48407, #49748.

Expected: Cowork tab present between Home and Code, with access to existing Cowork Projects, matching Anthropic's published documentation.

What Should Happen?

The Cowork tab should appear between Home and Code in the sidebar, matching the documented layout and my two other Macs on the same account. Opening it should show my existing Cowork Projects, including "AI ARCHITECTURE_2" and its 16 saved sessions.

Error Messages/Logs

None — no error message is shown. The Cowork tab is silently absent from the sidebar.

Steps to Reproduce

1. On a Mac not previously signed in (MacBook Pro 2021, M1 Pro), install the latest Claude Desktop app
2. Sign in with a paid personal account that has existing Cowork Projects created on other machines
3. Observe the sidebar: only Home and Code tabs appear — no Cowork tab
4. Open Home: it contains New Task, Projects, Artifacts, Scheduled, Dispatch, but existing Cowork Project sessions are not visible
5. Restart the app, sign out and back in, resize the window — no change

Claude Model

Other

Is this a regression?

Yes, this worked in a previous version

Last Working Version

Unknown — this is a new machine and the Cowork tab has never appeared on this install. The tab works correctly on two other Macs on the same account (versions not recorded).

Claude Code Version

1.18286.0 (Claude Desktop app, macOS, built 2026-07-02)

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

macOS

Terminal/Shell

Terminal.app (macOS)

Additional Information

Additional data point: the two Mac Minis (same account) both display this project and its 16 sessions, even though they have separate local app data and only share the same iCloud Drive workspace folder. If session visibility were purely local per-install, only one Mini should show them. The MacBook Pro syncs the same iCloud Drive folder and uses the same account, yet shows neither the Cowork tab nor the project sessions. This suggests the sessions sync at the account or workspace-folder level and that this install is failing to load them — consistent with the missing Cowork tab being a feature-flag or entitlement issue rather than missing local data. see screenshot of missing cowork tab.

<img width="298" height="521" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/afcab5e4-c6e3-4c5a-a412-0b4296f73a24" />