[BUG] [BUG] Windows: OneDrive-redirected Desktop folders appear as duplicates in folder picker, require adding twice

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?

[BUG] Windows: OneDrive-redirected Desktop folders appear as duplicates in folder picker, require adding twice

Description

On Windows with OneDrive Known Folder Move enabled (Desktop redirected to C:\Users\<user>\OneDrive\Desktop\), the Claude Desktop folder picker shows duplicate entries for the same folder — once with display name + path, once as just the raw path, and once with just the name. When selecting one entry to add, the folder often fails to connect on the first attempt. Adding it a second time succeeds.

Once added, sessions intermittently report they cannot access the connected folder (connectedFolders returns [] on session start).

Environment

• App version: 2.19675.0 (Windows x64, Electron 44.4.3)
• OS: Windows (with OneDrive Known Folder Move active)
• Desktop path: C:\Users\<user>\OneDrive\Desktop\ (redirected from C:\Users\<user>\Desktop\)

Steps to reproduce

1. Have OneDrive Known Folder Move enabled (Desktop redirected to OneDrive)
2. Place a project folder on the Desktop (e.g., C:\Users\<user>\OneDrive\Desktop\MyProject)
3. In Claude Desktop, click "Add folder"
4. Navigate to the project folder — observe it appears multiple times in the picker with different display formats
5. Select one entry and confirm — the folder often does not connect
6. Add the same folder again — the second attempt typically succeeds

Expected behavior

The folder should appear once in the picker and connect on the first attempt, regardless of whether the Desktop is redirected through OneDrive.

Observed behavior

• Folder appears as duplicate/triplicate entries in the folder picker
• First add attempt frequently fails silently
• Second add attempt succeeds
• get_device_info does not list "Desktop" in homeDirectories when Desktop is OneDrive-redirected
• device_request_folder_access for ~/Desktop returns "A requested folder can't be granted to this session"
• connectedFolders sometimes returns [] even after a folder has been added

Additional context

This issue began appearing in late September / early October 2026. The following changelog entries appear related:

• v1.46388.3 (Sept 4): Expanded folder attachment support for system folders
• v2.110.0 (Sept 15): Fixed "Could not find mount for path" when two connected folders shared a name
• v1.52386.0 (Sept 10): Fixed Windows workspace file access after Windows update KB5124008

The root cause appears to be that the app discovers the folder through multiple path resolutions — the OneDrive path (C:\Users\<user>\OneDrive\Desktop\MyProject) and a Windows shell folder API reference — and registers them as separate entries rather than deduplicating.

This setup (OneDrive Known Folder Move with project folders on Desktop) worked without issues prior to the September 2026 updates.

What Should Happen?

Expected behavior

The folder should appear once in the picker and connect on the first attempt, regardless of whether the Desktop is redirected through OneDrive.

Error Messages/Logs

Steps to Reproduce

Steps to reproduce
Have OneDrive Known Folder Move enabled (Desktop redirected to OneDrive)
Place a project folder on the Desktop (e.g., C:\Users\<user>\OneDrive\Desktop\MyProject)
In Claude Desktop, click "Add folder"
Navigate to the project folder — observe it appears multiple times in the picker with different display formats
Select one entry and confirm — the folder often does not connect
Add the same folder again — the second attempt typically succeeds

Claude Model

Not sure / Multiple models

Is this a regression?

Yes, this worked in a previous version

Last Working Version

_No response_

Claude Code Version

v1.46388.3 (Sept 4), v2.110.0 (Sept 15), v1.52386.0 (Sept 10)

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

Windows

Terminal/Shell

Windows Terminal

Additional Information

_No response_