### Preflight Checklist - [x] I have searched [existing issues](https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code/issues?q=is%3Aissue%20state%3Aopen%20label%3Abug) 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 Cowork cannot start its workspace on the Microsoft Store/MSIX version of Claude Desktop for Windows. The failure was first captured after Claude D

[BUG] Windows Store/MSIX: Cowork workspace blocked by PlantDetectedError, still reproducible on Claude Desktop 1.34493.1

Status Open

Reported on v2.1.227

Maintainer reply None cached

Workaround ✓ Mentioned in description ↑

Activity 0 comments · opened Aug 22, 2026

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 Cowork cannot start its workspace on the Microsoft Store/MSIX version of Claude Desktop for Windows.

The failure was first captured after Claude Desktop automatically updated from 1.26832.0 to 1.28929.0, when Cowork began requiring Claude Code VM SDK 2.1.227.

The problem remained after updating to 1.30096.5. Claude Desktop has now automatically updated again to:

Claude 1.34493.1 (255293)
2026-08-21T02:05:20.000Z

However, Cowork still cannot start its workspace.

The application continuously displays:

Failed to start Claude’s workspace

Download failed. Check your internet connection and try again.
Restarting Claude or your computer sometimes resolves this.
If it persists, you can reinstall the workspace.

The captured logs show that the Cowork VM SDK updater (ClaudeCodeManager-VM) fails all three installation attempts with PlantDetectedError.

The logical target path:

C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Local\Claude-3p\
claude-code-vm\2.1.227

canonicalizes to the application’s MSIX-private path:

C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Local\Packages\
Claude_pzs8sxrjxfjjc\LocalCache\Local\Claude-3p\
claude-code-vm\2.1.227

The updater expects the original logical path and classifies Windows’ legitimate MSIX AppData virtualization as a possible planted junction.

The app itself logs that it recognizes the Store/MSIX installation:

[updater] MSIX detected:
windowsStore=true
appPathMatch=true
source=windowsStore

The regular Windows win32-x64 Claude Code binary downloads and installs successfully from downloads.claude.ai. Only the Cowork VM SDK installation fails, so this does not appear to be a general network, DNS, TLS, proxy, or download failure.

This appears to be a continuing reproduction of #84841, which is closed without a linked fix or pull request.

It is also related to #84865, but the user-visible impact and affected path are different:

#84865 primarily concerns the regular Claude Code updater under Roaming\Claude\claude-code, which can silently leave Code on an older version.
This report concerns the Cowork VM SDK updater under Local\Claude-3p\claude-code-vm, where the failure prevents Cowork from starting at all.

The issue remains reproducible on Claude Desktop 1.34493.1.

What Should Happen?

On a recognized Microsoft Store/MSIX installation, Claude Desktop should treat Windows’ package-managed AppData virtualization as legitimate.

The updater should either:

resolve and validate the canonical MSIX-private LocalCache\Local path; or
explicitly allow the expected Windows-managed redirection when windowsStore=true, while continuing to reject redirects that escape the application’s own package container.

Cowork should then download, verify, and install the correct VM SDK and create .verified through its normal trusted installation process.

If the underlying failure is PlantDetectedError, the user-facing message should report a local path-validation or installation failure instead of incorrectly telling the user to check the internet connection.

Error Messages/Logs

Current affected Claude Desktop build:

Claude 1.34493.1 (255293)
2026-08-21T02:05:20.000Z

Current user-facing error:

Failed to start Claude’s workspace

Download failed. Check your internet connection and try again.
Restarting Claude or your computer sometimes resolves this.
If it persists, you can reinstall the workspace.

Originally captured failure after the update from 1.26832.0 to 1.28929.0:

[updater] Version changed since last launch:
1.26832.0 → 1.28929.0

[CCD] Initialized with version 2.1.227

[ClaudeCodeManager-VM] Download attempt 1/3 failed
[PlantDetectedError]: Private dir leaf redirects
(junction/substitute-name plant):

C:\Users<user>\AppData\Local\Claude-3p
claude-code-vm\2.1.227

leaf canonicalizes to:

C:\Users<user>\AppData\Local\Packages
Claude_pzs8sxrjxfjjc\LocalCache\Local\Claude-3p
claude-code-vm\2.1.227

expected:

C:\Users<user>\AppData\Local\Claude-3p
claude-code-vm\2.1.227

Attempts 2/3 and 3/3 failed with the same PlantDetectedError.

The application recognized the Store/MSIX installation:

[updater] MSIX detected:
windowsStore=true
appPathMatch=true
source=windowsStore

Steps to Reproduce

Install Claude Desktop through Microsoft Store/MSIX on Windows.
Start with a previously working Cowork installation using VM SDK 2.1.222.
Allow Claude Desktop to update from 1.26832.0 to 1.28929.0.
Open an existing Cowork Project or attempt to start a new Cowork workspace.
Observe three failed ClaudeCodeManager-VM attempts while installing VM SDK 2.1.227.
Observe the persistent “Failed to start Claude’s workspace” and “Download failed” messages.
Inspect the MSIX-private claude-code-vm\2.1.227 directory and observe that it exists but remains empty and does not contain .verified.
Allow Claude Desktop to update to 1.30096.5 and retry Cowork.
Observe that the workspace startup failure remains.
Allow Claude Desktop to update to 1.34493.1.
Fully quit Claude Desktop, including the system-tray process, and restart it.
Retry the same Cowork workspace.
Observe that Cowork still cannot start and continues to report the workspace download/startup failure.

Claude Model

None

Is this a regression?

Yes, this worked in a previous version

Last Working Version

Claude Desktop 1.26832.0 (Cowork VM SDK 2.1.222)

Claude Code Version

N/A — Claude Desktop Cowork 1.34493.1 (255293); originally affected bundled Cowork VM SDK 2.1.227

Platform

Other

Operating System

Windows

Terminal/Shell

Windows Terminal

Additional Information

Environment

OS: Windows 10 Pro, version 22H2, OS build 19045.5608, x64
Installation source: Microsoft Store
Package type: MSIX/AppX
Package family: Claude_pzs8sxrjxfjjc
Previous working Claude Desktop version: 1.26832.0
First failing Claude Desktop version observed: 1.28929.0
Intermediate failing version: 1.30096.5 (6e1346)
Current failing version: 1.34493.1 (255293)
Current build timestamp shown by the app: 2026-08-21T02:05:20.000Z
Previously working Cowork VM SDK: 2.1.222
VM SDK required in the originally captured failure: 2.1.227

The selected API platform is “Other” only because this is a Claude Desktop/Cowork startup failure that occurs before any model or API request is reached.

Observed filesystem state

After the originally captured failure:

MSIX-private claude-code-vm\2.1.222
- Contains the previously working SDK
- Contains .verified

MSIX-private claude-code-vm\2.1.227
- Directory exists
- Contains no SDK files
- Does not contain .verified

The application recreated the empty 2.1.227 directory on subsequent attempts.

I did not manually create any junction, symbolic link, or hard link.

Troubleshooting already attempted

The following actions did not resolve the problem:

Fully quit and restart Claude Desktop.
Restart Windows.
Wait for the download to retry.
Run “Reinstall workspace” once.
Allow the application to recreate the empty 2.1.227 directory.
Allow Claude Desktop to update to 1.30096.5 and retry Cowork.
Allow Claude Desktop to update to 1.34493.1 and retry Cowork.

The workspace reinstall rebuilt or migrated the VM bundle, but the VM SDK installation still failed.

The following unsafe workarounds were deliberately not attempted:

No manually created .verified file.
No junction or symbolic link between the two AppData paths.
No copying SDK 2.1.222 into a directory named 2.1.227.
No copying the Windows claude.exe into the Linux VM SDK directory.
No modification of files under WindowsApps.
No disabling of Defender, memory integrity, or other Windows security features.

Why this does not appear to be a general network failure

The regular Windows Claude Code 2.1.227 binary successfully downloaded from the official Anthropic download domain.

Only the Cowork VM SDK installation failed, and the captured exception was the local path-validation PlantDetectedError, not an HTTP, DNS, TLS, or timeout error.

The UI message saying “Check your internet connection” is therefore misleading for this failure mode.

Possibly related broader impact

The same logical-to-MSIX-private path mismatch also appears to affect Project Memory directories under:

Local\Claude-3p\local-agent-mode-sessions\
<account-id>\<org-id>\spaces\<space-id>\memory

Existing Memory files are physically present under the MSIX-private LocalCache\Local directory, but read/write attempts can fail with messages such as:

failed to resolve path
resolves outside allowed folders
Write → block
Edit → block

The Memory problem was observable before the update to 1.28929.0, while the new VM SDK requirement turned the same class of path problem into a complete workspace startup failure.

This observation is included only as possible supporting evidence of the same MSIX path-handling problem. The single primary bug reported here is the Cowork VM SDK installation failure that prevents the workspace from starting.