[BUG] Claude Desktop (Windows/MSIX): "launch at startup" writes a versioned WindowsApps path to HKCU\Run, so it silently breaks at the next auto-update

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?

Environment
Claude Desktop 1.46388.1.0 (MSIX, Claude_pzs8sxrjxfjjc)
Windows 11 Home 10.0.26200
Startup option enabled in-app on 2026-08-03/04 while on 1.24012.11.0
What happens
Enabling the in-app "launch at startup" option writes a plain Run entry:

HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
Claude = "C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\Claude_1.24012.11.0_x64__pzs8sxrjxfjjc\app\claude.exe"
MSIX installs into a version-named folder. The next auto-update (1.25927.0.0 on 2026-08-04) removed that folder, and none of the nine updates since has rewritten the entry. At every logon Windows tries to launch a path that does not exist and fails silently. Because the entry was never registered under Explorer\StartupApproved\Run, Settings > Apps > Startup does not show it as failing either.

Scope of this report: observed on 1.24012.11.0. I did not re-enable the toggle after it broke, so I have not tested whether the current version (1.46388.1.0) still writes a versioned path. The stale entry is still present today, which at minimum shows that updates do not clean up or refresh an existing entry.

Meanwhile the package manifest does declare a proper startup task:

<desktop:Extension Category="windows.startupTask"
Executable="app\Claude.exe"
EntryPoint="Windows.FullTrustApplication">
Its registration (...\AppModel\SystemAppData\Claude_pzs8sxrjxfjjc\ClaudeStartup) shows State = 0 (Disabled) and UserEnabledStartupOnce = 0. So on 1.24012.11.0 the in-app toggle did not enable the mechanism that survives updates, and Claude showed as Off in Settings > Apps > Startup even though it was turned on in the app.

What Should Happen?

xpected
On MSIX builds the toggle should call the Windows.ApplicationModel.StartupTask API (ClaudeStartup) instead of writing a versioned exe path to HKCU\Run, or at minimum rewrite the Run entry with the current path on every launch/update.

Error Messages/Logs

Evidence (from this machine)
Package install history (System log, Event 7045, CoworkVMService): 1.24012.9.0 2026-08-02 → 1.24012.11.0 08-03 → 1.25927.0.0 08-04 → … → 1.46388.1.0 09-03.
HKCU\...\Run\Claude still points at 1.24012.11.0; Test-Path on it is False.
HKCU\...\StartupApproved\Run has no Claude value.
SystemAppData\Claude_pzs8sxrjxfjjc\ClaudeStartup: State 0, UserEnabledStartupOnce 0.

Steps to Reproduce

1. install old version of claude
2. enable run on startup toggle
3. install new version
4. restart, check behavior

Claude Model

Not sure / Multiple models

Is this a regression?

I don't know

Last Working Version

_No response_

Claude Code Version

2.1.260

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

Windows

Terminal/Shell

PowerShell

Additional Information

_No response_