[BUG]update_plan always returns "No tab available", blocking all browser navigation/screenshots

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?

Summary

In the Claude Code Desktop App, the browser tool update_plan consistently
returns the error "No tab available". Because domain approval never succeeds,
every navigate and screenshot action is then blocked with
"Navigation to this domain is not allowed" — even for google.com. This makes
all browser-based visual verification impossible.

What works

• tabs_context_mcp — reads tabs correctly
• tabs_create_mcp — creates new tabs correctly
• Extension is installed, official, up to date (v1.0.80), "On all sites"
• claude.ai OAuth authorization granted
• File-URL access enabled
• Single clean connection via "Connect" in the correct window

What fails

• update_plan → always "No tab available"
• navigate → "Navigation to this domain is not allowed" (any domain)
• screenshot → "Permission denied for this action on this domain"

Steps to reproduce

1. Connect the Claude extension to a fresh, non-managed Chrome profile.
2. Call tabs_context_mcp (succeeds, returns a valid tab).
3. Call update_plan with any domain → "No tab available".
4. Call navigate to that domain → "Navigation to this domain is not allowed".

Troubleshooting already done (did NOT fix it)

• Switched from a managed (Google Workspace) profile to a fresh non-managed

profile ("Chrome für CLAUDE CODE").

• Reinstalled the official extension from claude.ai/chrome.
• Re-authorized via claude.ai OAuth.
• Resolved a "Multiple Chrome extensions connected" state by clicking

"Connect" in the intended window.

• Enabled "Allow access to file URLs".
• Restarted both Chrome and the Claude Code Desktop App multiple times.

Fresh tabGroupId each time; the failure is reproducible across all restarts.

Environment

• Claude Code Desktop App (macOS, Darwin 24.6.0)
• Claude for Chrome extension v1.0.80
• Chrome, non-managed profile

Impact

Browser-based visual verification of websites is completely non-functional,
which blocks a core workflow (checking rendered pages and comparing designs).

What Should Happen?

update_plan approves the requested domain(s), after which navigate and screenshot work on those domains.

Error Messages/Logs

update_plan always returns "No tab available"; navigation and screenshots stay blocked on every domain.

Steps to Reproduce

1. Connect the Claude for Chrome extension to a fresh, non-managed Chrome profile and click "Connect" in that window.
2. Call tabs_context_mcp — it succeeds and returns a valid tab (e.g. a chrome://newtab tab with a valid tabId and tabGroupId).
3. Call update_plan with any domain (e.g. example.com) to approve it → it fails with "No tab available".
4. Because approval never succeeds, call navigate to that domain → it fails with "Navigation to this domain is not allowed" (happens even for google.com).
5. Call screenshot → fails with "Permission denied for this action on this domain".

Result: update_plan can never grant domain approval, so no navigation or screenshot is ever possible. tabs_context_mcp and tabs_create_mcp both work fine, so the connection itself is alive — only the update_plan approval step is broken.

Already tried (none fixed it): switching from a managed Google Workspace profile to a fresh non-managed profile; reinstalling the official extension from claude.ai/chrome; re-authorizing via claude.ai OAuth; resolving a "Multiple Chrome extensions connected" state by clicking Connect in the intended window; enabling "Allow access to file URLs"; restarting Chrome and the Claude Code Desktop App multiple times. The failure reproduces across every restart with a fresh tabGroupId each time.

Claude Model

Sonnet (default)

Is this a regression?

Yes, this worked in a previous version

Last Working Version

_No response_

Claude Code Version

Darwin 24.6.0

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

macOS

Terminal/Shell

Terminal.app (macOS)

Additional Information

Claude Code Desktop App, macOS (Darwin 24.6.0), Claude for Chrome extension v1.0.80, Chrome non-managed profile.