[BUG] Windows desktop: markdown links with absolute-path hrefs are styled clickable but clicks are silently dropped (chat + .md preview); auto-linkified plain paths in the same pane work

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?

On Claude Desktop for Windows, markdown links whose href is an absolute Windows path
(C:/Users/.../file.md) render with full link affordance (blue styling, and in chat a
pointer/hand cursor) — but clicking produces no action and no error. This happens in
BOTH the chat pane and the .md file preview pane.

The same target file opens fine through two other paths, which localizes the defect
to the markdown-href click handler:

| Link form | Chat pane | .md preview pane |
|---|---|---|
| Relative href (e.g. ../.claude/projects/<slug>/memory/x.md) | ✅ opens (though no hand cursor) | untested |
| Absolute href (C:/Users/.../x.md) | ❌ styled + hand cursor, click silently dropped | ❌ styled, click silently dropped |
| Backticked plain absolute path (auto-linkified by the app) | — | ✅ opens |

So at least two click handlers exist (markdown-href vs auto-detected path) with
different capabilities, and the affordance (styling/cursor) doesn't match actual
clickability — the cursor even inverts the truth in chat (hand cursor on the dead
link, no hand cursor on the working one).

Styling and cursor should match actual clickability across both panes.

What Should Happen?

Clicking any markdown link that points to an existing local file should open that
file — regardless of whether the href is written as a relative path or an absolute
Windows path (C:/Users/.../file.md), and regardless of whether the link is in the
chat pane or the .md preview pane.

Concretely, if this bug weren't occurring:

• The absolute-href link would open the target file on click, exactly like the

relative-href link already does in chat, and exactly like the app's own
auto-linkified plain-text paths already do in preview.

• Link affordance would match capability: anything styled blue with a pointer/hand

cursor would actually respond to a click, and anything the app cannot open would
not be styled as clickable in the first place.

• Behavior would be consistent across the two click handlers (markdown-href links

and auto-detected paths) — the same target should not be dead via one handler and
openable via the other in the same pane.

Error Messages/Logs

Steps to Reproduce

1. In a session, have Claude emit two markdown links to the same existing file:

one with a relative-to-cwd href, one with an absolute C:/... href.

1. Click both in the chat pane.
2. Have Claude write a .md file containing an absolute-href markdown link plus the

same path as backticked plain text; open that file in the preview pane and click both.

Either absolute-path hrefs open the file, or they don't receive link affordance.
Styling and cursor should match actual clickability across both panes.

Claude Model

Not sure / Multiple models

Is this a regression?

I don't know

Last Working Version

_No response_

Claude Code Version

2.1.205 (Claude Code)

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

Windows

Terminal/Shell

Other

Additional Information

Related but distinct: #51015 / #10846 (VS Code extension, not desktop), #61443
(Windows desktop, but absolute paths got NO affordance and relative links errored —
here absolute paths get full affordance then silently drop, and relative links work).
Using Claude Desktop app for windows