[BUG] Desktop app's Code sessions set DISABLE_GROWTHBOOK=1, blocking auto mode from ever being offered
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?
Summary:
Auto mode (the safety-classifier permission mode) never becomes available in Code sessions run through the Claude desktop app, even though the same account works fine with auto mode in a plain terminal claude session and previously worked when connecting directly via my org (no custom gateway).
What Should Happen?
Expected behavior:
Feature-flag evaluation (and auto mode availability) should behave the same whether Claude Code is launched from the desktop app or a plain terminal, given identical account/gateway config.
Error Messages/Logs
Steps to Reproduce
Steps to reproduce:
Open a Code session in the desktop app.
Run claude doctor (or check /status in-session).
Observe: Feature-flag evaluation disabled (disabled by DISABLE_GROWTHBOOK).
Run env | grep -i "growthbook\|disable_" — shows DISABLE_GROWTHBOOK=1 plus several sibling flags (DISABLE_AUTOUPDATER=1, CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_EXPERIMENTAL_BETAS=1, DISABLE_MICROCOMPACT=1, DISABLE_FEEDBACK_COMMAND=1, CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_TERMINAL_TITLE=1, CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_CRON=1, CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_OFFICIAL_MARKETPLACE_AUTOINSTALL=1) — all present without being set anywhere in my shell config, ~/.claude/settings.json, project settings, or org-managed settings.
Compare with a plain Terminal.app session running the same claude binary, same account, same gateway: env | grep -i "growthbook\|disable_" returns nothing — no DISABLE_* vars at all — and auto mode is available there.
Claude Model
Sonnet (default)
Is this a regression?
I don't know
Last Working Version
_No response_
Claude Code Version
Claude Code version: 2.1.281 (native install)
Platform
Anthropic API
Operating System
macOS
Terminal/Shell
Terminal.app (macOS)
Additional Information
Environment:
Claude Code version: 2.1.281 (native install)
Desktop app: Code tab, macOS (darwin-arm64)
ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL set to a company LiteLLM gateway (litellm.shared.getflex.org)
Actual behavior:
The desktop app appears to inject DISABLE_GROWTHBOOK=1 (and other DISABLE_* flags) into every Code session's process environment at launch, which permanently disables feature-flag evaluation for that session — and by extension, blocks auto mode from ever being offered — regardless of quitting and restarting the app.
Attempted workarounds (did not help):
Adding "DISABLE_GROWTHBOOK": "0" to the env block in ~/.claude/settings.json — the app's injected value still wins after restart, so settings.json's env block does not override whatever mechanism sets this.
Removing the custom ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL — no effect; DISABLE_GROWTHBOOK=1 persists even talking directly to api.anthropic.com.
Ask: Please either stop injecting DISABLE_GROWTHBOOK (and the other listed flags) into desktop-app-spawned Code sessions by default, or expose a setting to control it, since it's currently silently blocking a feature (auto mode) that works in every other launch path.
Additional note: I couldn't find a "Report a bug" option under Help in the desktop app to file this in-app — possibly because DISABLE_FEEDBACK_COMMAND=1 (see above) also suppresses that path — so filing here instead.