[BUG] Cowork sandbox fails at sdk_install on Windows — VM guest crashes with "connection forcibly closed" (regression SDK 2.1.181 → 2.1.202)

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?

• App 1.19367.0, SDK 2.1.202, Windows 11 Pro 10.0.26200
• Last working: SDK 2.1.181, June 21 2026
• Same VM bundle (6d1538ba...) both times — bundle is not the issue
• VM boots and connects, but sdk_install fails 3 seconds in with An existing connection was forcibly closed by the remote host
• Linux claude binary (249.7 MB ELF) exists and is valid; crash appears to be inside the VM guest when running/loading it
• Restarting vmcompute service clears the zombie-VM compounding issue but the root crash repeats
• Logs: %APPDATA%\Claude\logs\cowork_vm_node.log

cowork_vm_node.log

What Should Happen?

Should not give error

Error Messages/Logs

Failed to start Claude's workspace
failed to send request: failed to write message: An existing connection was forcibly closed by the remote host.
Restarting Claude or your computer sometimes resolves this. If it persists, you can reinstall the workspace or share your debug logs to help us improve.

Steps to Reproduce

1. Reinstall "workspace"
2. Start claude desktop
3. go to cowork and try to do something that requires the sandbox

Claude Model

Sonnet (default)

Is this a regression?

Yes, this worked in a previous version

Last Working Version

SDK 2.1.181 (June 21, 2026)

Claude Code Version

This is a claude desktop issue — App 1.19367.0, bundled SDK 2.1.202

Platform

Claude Pro/Max

Operating System

Windows

Terminal/Shell

PowerShell

Additional Information

_No response_