[BUG] Claude Desktop 1.24012.9.0 — MSIX package repeatedly enters "Modified, NeedsRemediation" on Windows 10 22H2 with no Windows Update and no files modified on disk

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?

Claude Desktop's MSIX package repeatedly transitions to Modified, NeedsRemediation and the app refuses to launch with:

There is a problem with Claude. Reinstall the application from its original install location or contact your administrator.

This happened 3 times in ~5 hours on 2026-07-29. Each occurrence required a full manual cleanup and reinstall (~20 minutes).

Critically: no file inside the package directory is ever modified. Every file retains its original install timestamp. The package is invalidated with its on-disk contents untouched.

Note: this is a Claude Desktop (MSIX) issue, not Claude Code CLI. The Code tab inside Claude Desktop is where my sessions were running. Claude Code CLI is installed separately via npm and was unaffected throughout.

Closest existing issues

Closest match is #70700, but the trigger there was a Windows cumulative update — I have installed no Windows updates since 2026-05-13, and the failure still occurs. Also related: #37443, #63397, #76357, #49917, #48437, #59692.

Ruled out with evidence

| Hypothesis | Evidence against |
|---|---|
| Antivirus | Get-MpThreatDetection and Get-MpThreat both empty. No third-party AV. |
| Disk failure | Get-PhysicalDisk — both drives Healthy / OK. No disk error events (7, 11, 51, 153, 157, 98). |
| Memory pressure | 9.17 GB free at time of failure; claude.exe using 133 MB |
| GPU driver reset (TDR) | No event 4101 in System log across the full window |
| Unexpected shutdown | No event 41, 1001, or 6008 |
| Orphaned CoworkVMService | sc.exe query → 1060 (does not exist); registry key absent |
| Wrong install volume | Get-AppxDefaultVolume → C:\Program Files\WindowsApps, IsSystemVolume True, IsOffline False. D:\WindowsApps does not exist. |
| Wedged package family name | Verified empty before reinstall |
| Windows component corruption | sfc /scannow + DISM /RestoreHealth both run. CBS.log shows the only repair was an unrelated OneDrive.lnk. Second sfc pass clean. Failure recurred anyway. |
| Recent Windows cumulative update | No updates since 2026-05-13. LCU-removal fix from #70700 not applicable. |
| App writing into its own package dir | All package files retain the original install timestamp |

Observations

1. The Modified state appears both with and without a preceding hang. The successful 14:38:58 install produced no error events at all before degrading.
2. Package is SignatureKind: Developer — sideloaded, Developer-signed MSIX. #63397 documents the auto-updater staging updates that never register because the running app holds file locks. I suspect a deferred or partial update cycle, but have no direct evidence.
3. CoworkVMService starts immediately after each install (Application log, Event ID 1, at 12:53:29 and 14:38:58).
4. Both initial crashes occurred with two Claude Code sessions running concurrently in the Code tab, in two separate repositories. Memory was not a factor.
5. chrome-native-host.exe surviving uninstall is a reproducible secondary problem — it silently blocks cleanup and causes the next install to fail, with no indication to the user.

Workaround (working)

Extracting the MSIX as a ZIP and running the binary directly, with no package registration:

mkdir C:\claude-app
Copy-Item "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\Temp\Claude-<id>.msix" "C:\claude-app\claude.zip"
Expand-Archive "C:\claude-app\claude.zip" -DestinationPath "C:\claude-app\extracted"
& "C:\claude-app\extracted\app\claude.exe"

Chat and the Code tab work normally. Cowork is unavailable. Matches the workaround reported in #37443.

Caveats worth documenting:

• Google SSO fails in this mode. The claude:// handler is registered through the MSIX manifest's windows.protocol extension (see #59692) and does not exist in an unregistered copy, so the browser callback never reaches the app. Email login works.
• The app no longer auto-updates — in this case, desirable.

Impact

• ~20 minutes of manual cleanup plus reinstall per occurrence.
• Claude Code workspace and tab layout is lost every time, since it lives in the MSIX package data folder that must be deleted. Sessions survive in ~/.claude/projects.
• No repair or recovery path: Settings → Repair fails, Reset fails, Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register does not clear the flag.

Requests

1. A repair / force-clean path in the installer for the wedged state. Today the only route is a manual PowerShell sequence most users will not find.
2. Guarantee zero package-family processes before registration (as proposed in #63397 and #76357), explicitly including chrome-native-host.exe.
3. Surface the real sub-error in the dialog. 0x80073CF6 alone is not actionable, and "Administrator access is required" is shown even when Is elevated: true appears in the same log.
4. Document the extraction workaround or ship a reachable non-MSIX installer option.

Environment

| | |
|---|---|
| OS | Windows 10 Pro 22H2, build 19045 (10.0.19045) |
| Arch | x64 |
| RAM | 16 GB |
| Free disk (C:) | ~21 GB of 118 GB |
| Claude Desktop | 1.24012.9.0 |
| Package | Claude_1.24012.9.0_x64__pzs8sxrjxfjjc |
| SignatureKind | Developer |
| Hyper-V | Enabled; vmcompute and vmms running |
| AppXSvc / StateRepository | Running |
| Last Windows update | KB5072653 / KB5071959 — 2026-05-13 |

What Should Happen?

After a successful install (MSIX installation succeeded, exit code 0), the package should remain in Status: Ok and the app should keep launching normally across sessions and reboots.

The package should not transition to Modified, NeedsRemediation while no file inside its directory has been altered.

When the package does enter an invalid state, there should be a supported recovery path — Settings → Repair, Reset, or an installer repair mode — rather than requiring a manual PowerShell cleanup sequence.

Uninstall should terminate all package-owned processes, including chrome-native-host.exe, so the package data folder can be removed and the next install can succeed.

Error Messages/Logs

## Failed install — 12:17 (HRESULT 0x80073CF6)


2026/07/29 12:17:23.543218 Is elevated: true
2026/07/29 12:17:23.543218 Sideloading enabled: true
2026/07/29 12:17:26.205125 Checking for running Squirrel Claude processes...
2026/07/29 12:17:26.207881 No Squirrel Claude processes found
2026/07/29 12:17:26.230286 Installing via AddPackage (current-user)...
2026/07/29 12:18:04.505519 MSIX installation failed: AddPackage failed: AddPackage failed with HRESULT 0x80073CF6
2026/07/29 12:45:52.133810 ERROR dialog: Administrator access is required to install Claude with full features. You can try again or install without Cowork.


Note `Is elevated: true` in the same log as the "Administrator access is required" dialog.

## Application Hang — 13:23:49


Event ID 1002, Application Hang
claude.exe 1.24012.9.0 stopped interacting with Windows and was closed
Faulting type: Top level window is idle
Faulting package: Claude_1.24012.9.0_x64__pzs8sxrjxfjjc
Application path: C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\Claude_1.24012.9.0_x64__pzs8sxrjxfjjc\app\claude.exe


## Failed install — 13:45 (0x80073D02)


Event 638: Packages were not updated because affected apps are still running.
Running apps: {Claude_pzs8sxrjxfjjc!CLAUDE}
Event 419: error 0x80073D02: Cannot install because the following apps need to be closed


## Successful install — 14:38:58


2026/07/29 14:38:09.991470 Is elevated: true
2026/07/29 14:38:14.077287 WinVerifyTrust: MSIX signature is valid
2026/07/29 14:38:14.723399 Signature verified: MSIX signer matches bootstrapper
2026/07/29 14:38:14.725487 Extracted family name from MSIX manifest: Claude_pzs8sxrjxfjjc
2026/07/29 14:38:14.728773 Checking for existing Claude MSIX packages...
2026/07/29 14:38:14.889749 Installing via AddPackage (current-user)...
2026/07/29 14:38:58.915530 MSIX package installed successfully
2026/07/29 14:38:58.919846 MSIX installation succeeded
2026/07/29 14:38:58.950714 === Claude Setup completed successfully ===
2026/07/29 14:38:58.969838 Elevated process exited with code 0


## Package state at 15:13 — 35 minutes later, no error events in between


Name              : Claude
Version           : 1.24012.9.0
PackageFullName   : Claude_1.24012.9.0_x64__pzs8sxrjxfjjc
InstallLocation   : C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\Claude_1.24012.9.0_x64__pzs8sxrjxfjjc
SignatureKind     : Developer
IsPartiallyStaged : False
Status            : Modified, NeedsRemediation


## Package files — all still at original install timestamp


LastWriteTime       Name
-------------       ----
29/07/2026 14:38:55 resources.pri
29/07/2026 14:38:55 resources.scale-200.pri
29/07/2026 14:38:55 priconfig.xml
29/07/2026 14:38:55 AppxManifest.xml
29/07/2026 14:38:55 vulkan-1.dll
29/07/2026 14:38:55 vk_swiftshader_icd.json


## Log queries that came back EMPTY in the failure window


# AppXDeploymentServer errors after 14:38 — none
Get-WinEvent -LogName "Microsoft-Windows-AppXDeploymentServer/Operational" -MaxEvents 50 |
  Where-Object {$_.LevelDisplayName -eq "Erro"}

# System log: TDR / unexpected shutdown / service failures — none
Get-WinEvent -LogName System -MaxEvents 100 |
  Where-Object {$_.Id -in @(4101,41,1001,7031,7034)}

# Defender detections — none
Get-MpThreatDetection
Get-MpThreat


## Memory at time of failure


TotalGB : 15.94
LivreGB : 9.17


Top process by working set was Chrome at 475 MB; `claude.exe` at 133 MB.

Steps to Reproduce

Note: I could not identify a deterministic trigger. What follows is the exact sequence I performed, which reliably ends in the invalid state within ~35 minutes of a verified-clean install.

1. Establish a fully clean state. Close Chrome first — chrome-native-host.exe survives uninstall and holds a lock on the package data folder, which silently blocks the next install.

Get-Process | Where-Object {$_.Path -like "*Claude*"} | Stop-Process -Force
Get-AppxPackage *Claude* -AllUsers | Remove-AppxPackage -AllUsers
Remove-Item "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\Packages\Claude_pzs8sxrjxfjjc" -Recurse -Force

2. Verify the state is genuinely clean. All three must return empty / False:

Get-AppxPackage *Claude* -AllUsers
Test-Path "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\Packages\Claude_pzs8sxrjxfjjc"
Test-Path "C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\Claude_1.24012.9.0_x64__pzs8sxrjxfjjc"
Get-ChildItem "C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\Deleted" -Force
sc.exe query CoworkVMService

3. Install. Run Claude Setup.exe as administrator, choosing the full install with Cowork. Confirm the log ends with MSIX installation succeeded and Elevated process exited with code 0.

4. Confirm the package is healthy immediately after install:

Get-AppxPackage *Claude* | Select-Object Status

5. Use the app normally. In my case: Chat plus two Claude Code sessions in the Code tab, one per repository, both under D:\.

6. After roughly 30–35 minutes, re-check:

Get-AppxPackage *Claude* | Select-Object Status

Observed: Modified, NeedsRemediation. The app then fails to launch with the "reinstall the application" dialog.

7. Confirm nothing on disk changed:

Get-ChildItem "C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\Claude_1.24012.9.0_x64__pzs8sxrjxfjjc" -Recurse -File -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue |
  Sort-Object LastWriteTime -Descending |
  Select-Object -First 15 LastWriteTime, Name

Observed: every file still carries the install timestamp.

8. Confirm no error events explain it:

Get-WinEvent -LogName "Microsoft-Windows-AppXDeploymentServer/Operational" -MaxEvents 50 |
  Where-Object {$_.LevelDisplayName -eq "Erro"}

Observed: empty for the window between install and failure.

This cycle repeated 3 times on 2026-07-29.

Claude Model

None

Is this a regression?

Yes, this worked in a previous version

Last Working Version

_No response_

Claude Code Version

2.1.141 (Claude Code CLI)

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

Windows

Terminal/Shell

PowerShell

Additional Information

_No response_

running:  %LOCALAPPDATA%\Packages\Claude_pzs8sxrjxfjjc\LocalCache\Roaming\Claude\ChromeNativeHost\chrome-native-host.exe
package:  C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\Claude_1.24012.9.0_x64__pzs8sxrjxfjjc\app\resources\chrome-native-host.exe