claude-in-chrome: tabs_context_mcp reports extension not connected despite extension installed, enabled, and logged in

Description

mcp__claude-in-chrome__tabs_context_mcp (and other claude-in-chrome tools) consistently return "Browser extension is not connected" even after confirming the extension is installed, enabled in chrome://extensions, and signed into the same Claude account as the Claude Code session.

Steps taken to troubleshoot (all did not resolve it)

1. Confirmed extension installed via https://claude.ai/chrome
2. Fully restarted Chrome (not just reload)
3. Confirmed extension toggle is on in chrome://extensions
4. Confirmed signed into the extension with the same Claude account as this Claude Code session
5. Retried the connection ~6 times over the course of one session, spaced out with troubleshooting steps in between

Environment

• OS: Windows 11 Home 10.0.26200
• Claude Code CLI, model: Sonnet 5
• Platform: win32

Expected behavior

tabs_context_mcp should successfully connect and return tab context once the extension is installed and the same account is signed in.

Actual behavior

Every call returns:

Browser extension is not connected. Please ensure the Claude browser extension is installed and running (https://claude.ai/chrome), and that you are logged into claude.ai with the same account as Claude Code. If this is your first time connecting to Chrome, you may need to restart Chrome for the installation to take effect.