Claude in Chrome never connects to Claude Code CLI — list_connected_browsers returns [] / "Browser extension is not connected" despite matching account and full Chrome restart

Confirming this on my machine — same silent native-messaging failure.

• Claude Code 2.1.202 (also reproduced on 2.1.197)
• macOS 26.5.2 (Darwin 25.5.0)
• Chrome 150.0.7871.125
• Extension ID fcoeoabgfenejglbffodgkkbkcdhcgfn, installed + enabled, same account as Claude Code

Same symptom: /chrome → "Reconnect extension" opens a Chrome window that closes after ~1 second, and every browser tool returns "Browser extension is not connected." Native-messaging host manifest is present and correct, its wrapper execs the current binary (/opt/homebrew/Caskroom/claude-code/2.1.202/claude --chrome-native-host, exists + executable), correct Chrome profile, same account. Already tried full Chrome restart, extension remove + reinstall, and a complete machine power-cycle. Reproduces identically across two Claude Code versions and a reboot.

Ran into this too. Was going to file a separate issue with the following details:

I'm actually not sure what debug information would be helpful here but: - Claude extension installed in Chrome (screenshot of trying to poke at the extension directly in Chrome) and worked before <img width="302" height="74" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/1513bdeb-243d-4266-a570-d076ad3d0715" /> - Possibly related to switching from iTerm 2 to Ghostty recently? - Same Claude account in the browser and Claude Code CLI - CLI version 2.1.220 (Claude Code) - MacBook Pro - Chrome version Version 150.0.7871.187 (Official Build) (arm64) - Instructions/error message provided to Claude and relayed to me are incorrect/not helpful

Confirming the same failure on another macOS machine — extension never registers with the service, all local checks pass.

Environment

• Claude Code 2.1.221 (also seen on earlier 2.1.x)
• macOS Darwin 25.5.0 (arm64)
• Chrome 150.0.7871.187
• Claude in Chrome extension 1.0.84 (latest on the Web Store, updated 2026-07-28), installed in the Default profile
• Extension signed in with the same claude.ai account as Claude Code (subscription login, no API key env vars)
• No VPN or proxy

Symptoms

• tabs_context_mcp → "Browser extension is not connected"
• list_connected_browsers → []
• switch_browser → "No other browsers available"
• /chrome in Claude Code shows Status: Enabled, Extension: Installed

Already tried (no effect)

• Full Chrome quit (Cmd+Q) and restart after installing the extension
• Disabling and re-enabling the extension
• Verified account match on both sides

Everything local checks out; the extension simply never appears as a connected browser. Happy to provide more diagnostics if useful.

Follow-up from my earlier report — after further digging we could narrow this down considerably. There were two separate problems, and the second one looks server-side:

1. (Now resolved locally) Two Anthropic native-messaging hosts were in conflict.
~/Library/Application Support/Google/Chrome/NativeMessagingHosts/ contained both:

• com.anthropic.claude_browser_extension.json → Claude desktop app helper (/Applications/Claude.app/Contents/Helpers/chrome-native-host), allowed_origins includes the extension ID
• com.anthropic.claude_code_browser_extension.json → Claude Code wrapper (~/.claude/chrome/chrome-native-host)

~/Library/Logs/Claude/chrome-native-host.log showed the extension had been connecting to the desktop app host all along (socket at /tmp/claude-mcp-browser-bridge-<user>/<pid>.sock), which would explain the CLI never seeing it. Today's update to Claude Code 2.1.221 renamed the desktop manifest to .json.disabled; after a full Chrome restart the extension now spawns the Claude Code native host (claude.exe --chrome-native-host running, bridge socket present), and /chrome in a fresh CLI session shows Status: Enabled with the browser MCP tools registered. The dual-manifest conflict may explain a number of the reports in this thread (anyone with both the Claude desktop app and Claude Code installed).

2. (Still broken) Account-level browser registration never happens.
Even with the local chain fully healthy (extension → Claude Code native host → bridge socket, /chrome Enabled):

• list_connected_browsers → []
• switch_browser → "No other browsers available"
• /chrome → "Select browser…" → "No browsers are connected"
• Signing out and back into the extension (to force device re-registration) changed nothing
• claude.ai → Settings → "Claude in Chrome" is enabled for the account (Beta toggle on, site permissions "allow all sites"), so it is not an entitlement/rollout issue

So the remaining failure appears to be on the service side: the extension never registers as a connected browser for the account, independent of the local native-messaging setup and with the feature enabled on the account.

Environment: Claude Code 2.1.221, extension 1.0.84, Chrome 150.0.7871.187, macOS Darwin 25.5.0 (arm64), Claude desktop app also installed.