[BUG] Claude Code hangs on new chats - regular chat works fine

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

Starting a new chat session in one specific project directory hangs indefinitely at "waiting for Claude" (no error, no timeout — just never resolves). Sessions already open in the same project are unaffected and perform normally. The issue is reproducible on every attempt to create a new session in this project.

Environment

• Claude Code version: 2.1.281 (native install, latest channel)
• OS: macOS (Darwin 27.0.0)
• Project location: inside ~/Documents/... (iCloud Drive "Desktop & Documents" sync enabled)

Symptom

• Creating a new chat session in this project: hangs at "waiting for Claude" indefinitely.
• Switching between/using already-open sessions in the same project: works normally, no lag.
• New chats in other projects: work normally.
• No error message, no crash, no beachball — the UI just never becomes interactive for the new session.

What I ruled out (via elimination testing, each verified by removing/restoring and re-testing)

All of the following were tested by removing the item, testing a new chat, and — if it didn't help — restoring it:

1. Project's CLAUDE.md size (79KB→69KB) — renamed the file out entirely; hang persisted.
2. node_modules directories — 7 directories, ~800MB / ~430K files, all gitignored/regenerable — deleted via rm -rf; hang persisted.
3. A recent .claude/settings.local.json edit (disabling unused plugins) — reverted; hang persisted.
4. 5 stale git worktrees inside .claude/worktrees/ — 4.5GB, 341,354 files (each with its own node_modules), leftover from past agent sessions — relocated out via mv; hang persisted.
5. 144 session transcripts in ~/.claude/projects/<project>/ — 1GB total, several files 50-108MB each — moved out (leaving only the active session's own transcript); hang persisted.

None of these changed the behavior. The project directory went from ~535,893 files down to a small fraction of that with zero effect on the hang, which rules out simple "too many files" / directory-size explanations.

Secondary finding (possibly related, possibly separate bug)

While testing, I found that git status (and even mv) on the git-worktree copies hung indefinitely — both via Claude Code's own sandboxed Bash tool AND via a plain Terminal.app session (not going through Claude Code at all). This is consistent with iCloud Drive file eviction: the worktree files showed a cloud icon in Finder (not fully downloaded locally), and operations requiring file content (git status) stalled, while operations that don't (rm -rf, mv) completed fine. This may or may not be related to the new-chat hang, but seems worth flagging as a separate concern for projects living inside iCloud-synced folders.

Request

Since file-count/size reduction had no effect, the cause is likely something in the app's own new-session initialization path that isn't simply "scan the project directory." I don't have visibility into what the process is doing during the hang (no accessible logs from inside a session). Console.app capture during a live hang may help narrow it down further if needed.

What Should Happen?

A new chat could be performed without the Waiting for Claude Error

Error Messages/Logs

## Summary
Starting a new chat session in one specific project directory hangs indefinitely at "waiting for Claude" (no error, no timeout — just never resolves). Sessions already open in the same project are unaffected and perform normally. The issue is reproducible on every attempt to create a new session in this project.

## Environment
- Claude Code version: 2.1.281 (native install, `latest` channel)
- OS: macOS (Darwin 27.0.0)
- Project location: inside `~/Documents/...` (iCloud Drive "Desktop & Documents" sync enabled)

## Symptom
- Creating a **new** chat session in this project: hangs at "waiting for Claude" indefinitely.
- Switching between/using **already-open** sessions in the same project: works normally, no lag.
- New chats in **other** projects: work normally.
- No error message, no crash, no beachball — the UI just never becomes interactive for the new session.

## What I ruled out (via elimination testing, each verified by removing/restoring and re-testing)
All of the following were tested by removing the item, testing a new chat, and — if it didn't help — restoring it:

1. **Project's `CLAUDE.md` size** (79KB→69KB) — renamed the file out entirely; hang persisted.
2. **`node_modules` directories** — 7 directories, ~800MB / ~430K files, all gitignored/regenerable — deleted via `rm -rf`; hang persisted.
3. **A recent `.claude/settings.local.json` edit** (disabling unused plugins) — reverted; hang persisted.
4. **5 stale git worktrees** inside `.claude/worktrees/` — 4.5GB, 341,354 files (each with its own `node_modules`), leftover from past agent sessions — relocated out via `mv`; hang persisted.
5. **144 session transcripts** in `~/.claude/projects/<project>/` — 1GB total, several files 50-108MB each — moved out (leaving only the active session's own transcript); hang persisted.

None of these changed the behavior. The project directory went from ~535,893 files down to a small fraction of that with zero effect on the hang, which rules out simple "too many files" / directory-size explanations.

## Secondary finding (possibly related, possibly separate bug)
While testing, I found that `git status` (and even `mv`) on the git-worktree copies hung indefinitely — both via Claude Code's own sandboxed Bash tool AND via a plain Terminal.app session (not going through Claude Code at all). This is consistent with iCloud Drive file eviction: the worktree files showed a cloud icon in Finder (not fully downloaded locally), and operations requiring file content (git status) stalled, while operations that don't (rm -rf, mv) completed fine. This may or may not be related to the new-chat hang, but seems worth flagging as a separate concern for projects living inside iCloud-synced folders.

## Request
Since file-count/size reduction had no effect, the cause is likely something in the app's own new-session initialization path that isn't simply "scan the project directory." I don't have visibility into what the process is doing during the hang (no accessible logs from inside a session). Console.app capture during a live hang may help narrow it down further if needed.

Steps to Reproduce

Summary

Starting a new chat session in one specific project directory hangs indefinitely at "waiting for Claude" (no error, no timeout — just never resolves). Sessions already open in the same project are unaffected and perform normally. The issue is reproducible on every attempt to create a new session in this project.

Environment

• Claude Code version: 2.1.281 (native install, latest channel)
• OS: macOS (Darwin 27.0.0)
• Project location: inside ~/Documents/... (iCloud Drive "Desktop & Documents" sync enabled)

Symptom

• Creating a new chat session in this project: hangs at "waiting for Claude" indefinitely.
• Switching between/using already-open sessions in the same project: works normally, no lag.
• New chats in other projects: work normally.
• No error message, no crash, no beachball — the UI just never becomes interactive for the new session.

What I ruled out (via elimination testing, each verified by removing/restoring and re-testing)

All of the following were tested by removing the item, testing a new chat, and — if it didn't help — restoring it:

1. Project's CLAUDE.md size (79KB→69KB) — renamed the file out entirely; hang persisted.
2. node_modules directories — 7 directories, ~800MB / ~430K files, all gitignored/regenerable — deleted via rm -rf; hang persisted.
3. A recent .claude/settings.local.json edit (disabling unused plugins) — reverted; hang persisted.
4. 5 stale git worktrees inside .claude/worktrees/ — 4.5GB, 341,354 files (each with its own node_modules), leftover from past agent sessions — relocated out via mv; hang persisted.
5. 144 session transcripts in ~/.claude/projects/<project>/ — 1GB total, several files 50-108MB each — moved out (leaving only the active session's own transcript); hang persisted.

None of these changed the behavior. The project directory went from ~535,893 files down to a small fraction of that with zero effect on the hang, which rules out simple "too many files" / directory-size explanations.

Secondary finding (possibly related, possibly separate bug)

While testing, I found that git status (and even mv) on the git-worktree copies hung indefinitely — both via Claude Code's own sandboxed Bash tool AND via a plain Terminal.app session (not going through Claude Code at all). This is consistent with iCloud Drive file eviction: the worktree files showed a cloud icon in Finder (not fully downloaded locally), and operations requiring file content (git status) stalled, while operations that don't (rm -rf, mv) completed fine. This may or may not be related to the new-chat hang, but seems worth flagging as a separate concern for projects living inside iCloud-synced folders.

Request

Since file-count/size reduction had no effect, the cause is likely something in the app's own new-session initialization path that isn't simply "scan the project directory." I don't have visibility into what the process is doing during the hang (no accessible logs from inside a session). Console.app capture during a live hang may help narrow it down further if needed.

Claude Model

Sonnet (default)

Is this a regression?

Yes, this worked in a previous version

Last Working Version

_No response_

Claude Code Version

Claude Code version: 2.1.281

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

macOS

Terminal/Shell

Terminal.app (macOS)

Additional Information

_No response_