The desktop app issues on macOS — page 3
Issues the maintainers labelled both platform:macos and area:desktop.
2,295 issues · 785 open · 1,510 resolved (66%) · first seen Nov 6, 2025
Is this getting better or worse?
This class of problem is holding steady. 1042 new reports in the last 90 days vs 890 in the 90 before — +17%. The open backlog peaked at 785 in 2026-10 and sits at 785 today.
Derived by counting each matching issue from its creation date until it closed. First-party
computation over the anthropics/claude-code tracker — the trend is not published
anywhere upstream.
Which builds report this
1,174 of these reports name the Claude Code build they were running, spanning 178 releases. Heaviest reporters:
- Claude Code v2.1.111
- Claude Code v2.1.295
- Claude Code v2.1.229
- Claude Code v2.1.260
- Claude Code v2.1.286
- Claude Code v2.1.197
- Claude Code v2.1.258
- Claude Code v2.1.296
Report volume, not a defect count: an issue can mention a build without that build having caused the failure. Versions come from the version string in the bug-report template, matched against real published tags.
Do these get fixed?
Median time to close is 35 days across 1,510 closures. Of the 1,510 closures with a recorded reason, 27% were closed as completed and 1,104 as not-planned or duplicate. The most recent completed fix landed in 2026-10.
Workarounds reported by the community
652 of these issues post a workaround someone says worked. The highest-engagement ones:
- FEATURE: Multi-window support in Claude Code Desktop
- …essions, but forcing single-window view limits productivity Workarounds (all suboptimal) 1. — works but doubles memory usage 2. Desktop + CLI terminal side by side — inconsistent experience 3. Desktop + claude.ai/code in…
Found in the description of #30154 · still open - [FEATURE] Menu Bar Only Mode (Hide Dock Icon Option)
- …s or menu bar Additional Context: This would also provide a workaround for the current quit bug (issue 14951) where Cmd+Q doesn't properly close the app, since menu bar apps typically have a "Quit" option in their menu.…
Found in the description of #16082 · still open - [BUG] Inline KaTeX math (`$...$`) no longer renders in chat output — only block `$$...$$` works (regression)
- …ub-Flavored Markdown, Obsidian, and KaTeX/MathJax defaults. In the meantime the only workaround is Unicode ( ) or accepting display blocks — neither produces real inline math.
Found in the thread of #65632 · still open - [BUG] Opus 4.6 removed from Claude Desktop Code tab model picker after Opus 4.7 release
- …he option to use Opus 4.6 but not the "Coding" tab? Anyone has a workaround for the Desktop App?
Found in the thread of #49689 · resolved - [BUG] Claude Code defaults to 1M context on fresh session with no workaround on Pro plan
- …ars immediately without any prompt or file loaded Attempted workarounds — none resolved it: - — same error - — same error - → with Pro credentials only — same error Expected behavior: Standard context window used by defa…
Found in the description of #62063 · resolved
Excerpts are quoted from the linked issue so you can judge relevance before opening it. Threads that only ask for a workaround, or report that there is none, are excluded. These are community suggestions, not official guidance from Anthropic — read the full thread before applying one.
Matching issues 201–300
Ranked by community engagement (reactions weighted over comments). Listing the top 300 of 2,295 matches; the statistics above cover all 2,295.
- [BUG] Claude Desktop causes repeated WindowServer crashes on macOS 15.7.3 (Sequoia) — VirtualDisplayListener deadlock
- Desktop app: allow "Start locally" as the default action on task chips
- [BUG] Design window renderer grows unbounded during generation and is killed at 2-4GB (macOS, Apple Silicon)
- Desktop app renders ReportFindings (code-review results) as raw JSON instead of the findings panel
- [BUG] Custom connector tools never reach new conversations since Desktop v1.17377.1 (directory connectors fine)
- [BUG] SSH remote connector fails with "Host denied (verification failed)" after server host key rotation — no re-trust prompt shown
- [BUG] Desktop file viewer blocks files in permissions.additionalDirectories ("This file is outside the working directory") — regression
- [BUG] Attaching/pasting an image fails with 400 ... str is not valid UTF-8: surrogates not allowed
- [BUG] Usage credits required for 1M context" blocks all requests on Pro plan — first use of the day, quota available, Sonnet selected
- [BUG] Worktree branch prefix preference (ccBranchPrefix) ignored in v2.1.156 — hardcoded claude/MMDD- used
- Claude Code leaks pty handles — exhausts pseudo-terminals on macOS after long session
- [BUG] /remote-control fails with "failed to connect: /login" on Pro account, desktop app v1.8555.2
- [BUG] Root cause identified: GrowthBook A/B flags tengu_permission_friction + tengu_quill_harbor silently override defaultMode:bypassPermissions via periodic server sync — macOS Desktop
- [BUG] [Desktop App Code tab / macOS] Prompt preview overlay covers diff bar and permission prompts (Desktop App v1.7196.0)
- [FEATURE] Allow configuring the Cowork workspace base path (Documents/Claude)
- [BUG] Claude Code crashes with "exited with code 1" on multi-user macOS due to shared /tmp/claude-settings-<hash>.json
- [BUG] [Desktop] No way to edit or delete saved SSH connections
- Desktop app: text rendering breaks when window height exceeds threshold on Intel Mac
- Project list shows deleted projects that cannot be removed
- [BUG] Single-dollar $...$ inline LaTeX math does not render in the desktop app
- [BUG] Claude for OSX hangs on startup
- [FEATURE] Android emulator panel in the desktop Code tab (like the iOS Simulator panel)
- [BUG] Desktop app (macOS): context-window usage missing from the usage ring and its popover since 2.37337.1
- [Desktop] Browser pane tools unavailable in SSH sessions (works in Local)
- [BUG] Desktop: EnterWorktree never updates the session record, so the branch chip shows the wrong branch (path:) or disappears (name:)
- [FEATURE] Native macOS App (SwiftUI) — replace Electron wrapper
- [BUG] Desktop local-agent (Claude Code): 900s session idle timeout tears down the computer-use connector and never re-registers it on resume
- [BUG] ClaudeCodeManager-VM Checksum Mismatch on macOS Apple Silicon — v1.9659.2
- Claude Desktop "Launch preview panel" leaks across chats — file edits in one chat hijack the preview in unrelated active chats
- Scheduled tasks: sidebar section and "Run now" button removed
- Desktop app: last-used folder permanently pinned to new sessions with no way to remove it
- [Bug] macOS app update relaunch fails - manual reinstallation required
- [BUG] Desktop 1.3036.0 — Claude Code & Cowork crash with exit code 1 mid-turn
- [BUG] Claude Code process exited with code 1 - Desktop app only, terminal works fine
- [FEATURE] Add "Expand All" / "Collapse All" buttons for diffs in the desktop app
- [BUG] Desktop app crashes on launch with V8 heap OOM — single session .jsonl grew to 3.7 GB
- CLAUDE_CODE_USE_FOUNDRY (Azure Foundry) no longer works in desktop app since recent update
- [BUG] Claude Code in Claude for Mac fully processes request, but stops providing output before completion
- [BUG] Desktop: self-managed GitLab MRs bind but CI checks fail with "Unknown GitHub host", while the no-CI-polling rule still applies
- [BUG] Desktop (macOS): Claude Projects threads on a local folder create hidden phantom sessions, and approvals and notifications send you there
- Claude Docs artifact: export fails on a personal Max plan ("Your organization doesn't allow PDF export here." / "Couldn't prepare the file.")
- [BUG] VS Code extension sessions don't show up in the Desktop app
- [BUG] Cowork VM connection timeout after update to 1.32352.0 on Intel Mac (guest never connects)
- Product complaint: Cowork's silent switch to remote-by-default sessions broke my working setup, and I paid AI credits to diagnose your configuration
- [BUG] Cowork Tab Missing from Sidebar — Runtime Not Initializing (v1.15962.1, macOS M4)
- [BUG] Claude Code Desktop eager loading MCPs while Claude Code CLI lazy loading
- [BUG] Desktop app shows "Bypass Permissions mode isn't enabled" notification on every new session despite defaultMode: bypassPermissions in settings.json
- [BUG] User-typed ordered-list start index (e.g. `2.`) silently rewritten to `1.` before submission (re-file of #51697)
- [BUG] Live Artifacts (CoworkArtifacts.callMcpTool) reject local stdio MCP servers on cold start — claude.ai relay rejects server name as non-UUID
- [BUG] Sessions stay marked unread in Desktop app after being viewed (macOS)
- Orphaned background shells from prior sessions persist and re-trigger commands in new sessions
- [FEATURE] Better worktree/branch management in the mac app
- Feature Request: Support `/buddy` companion display in Claude Code Desktop app
- Code mode crashes instantly (exit code 1) after Desktop app update
- [BUG] Claude Code in desktop app not responsive
- Desktop CI monitoring shows all zeros in git worktree
- [BUG] Desktop app (Windows + macOS): new chat session repo selector is locked to last interacted-with repo and is unresponsive — Android unaffected
- [FEATURE] Desktop: show the last-run status on each routine row
- [BUG] Chat response completion notifications silent on desktop app (Windows + macOS) while Code/Cowork notifications fire correctly
- Desktop app: file links outside the working directory render clickable but dead-end in 'Couldn't find this file'
- [BUG] command autocomplete only triggers at position 0, while @ triggers mid-prompt
- [BUG] Desktop sidebar: "Show N more" is one-way — no "Show less" and the reveal count never decreases
- Claude Desktop: 5h46 of cumulative waiting in one day — 23 silent ~15-minute stalls across 6 sessions
- [BUG] Cowork VM: guest kernel does not enumerate NVMe disks on Intel Mac (x86_64) — hangs after Run /init, VM connection timeout after 60 seconds
- Group by PR status removed from Code tab sidebar (macOS desktop app, v1.21459.3)
- [BUG] Desktop: personal git-marketplace plugins never auto-update despite autoUpdate:true; Update button is a silent no-op; stale gitCommitSha after CLI update
- [BUG] Session lock alone (no sleep, no quit) kills long-running background tasks in Claude Desktop
- Feature request: allow slash commands in agent view
- [BUG] Claude Code *Desktop* app lost the ability to select 1M Context variants of models for 3p inference
- Cannot remove/change primary working directory, and stale folder paths are unrecoverable
- [BUG] macOS: Claude Desktop can't run hooks/git in TCC-protected folders (~/Documents) — `disclaimer` disclaims TCC responsibility, git getcwd() → "Operation not permitted"
- [FEATURE] Desktop: expose worktree name/base input in UI + pass branch-prefix & base branch into the WorktreeCreate hook payload
- [BUG] Desktop App 2.1.144+: startup scanner deletes cliSessionId from claude-code-sessions local files on every launch — session not found on disk
- [BUG] Desktop app passes invalid --session-id ("local_" prefix) to bundled binary — all new Code-mode sessions crash with exit code 1 (regression since May 9 app.asar update)
- Preview panel: mobile/desktop viewport toggle button is gone
- [BUG] Claude Desktop app - Claude Code error (every session) - process exited with code 1
- [BUG] Failed to Start Claude's Workspace
- /desktop fails: transcript has no cwd
- [FEATURE] Desktop app: make the rendered Markdown preview editable in place
- [Desktop] Browser/preview pane is torn down after 30 min hidden (WarmLifecycle:preview, idleTimeoutMs=18e5) and never restored on refocus — please make it configurable or restore on warm-up
- [BUG] Auto-continue at usage-limit reset is offered in only one session — other concurrent macOS-app sessions stay parked until manually retried
- [BUG] Desktop remote/SSH: archive never cleans up worktrees since 2.1.235 — app requires hardened git.status(baseRepo) but only ships a 2026-07-06 daemon, so "reconnect to deploy the updated daemon" is a no-op
- [BUG] Desktop Code tab: pane-header drag target for rearranging panes is ~1px tall, making custom layouts effectively unachievable (NOT the app window drag region)
- Desktop app: 'Last activity' filter cannot be set when Group by = custom group (works with Group by = State)
- [BUG] Desktop (Cowork/Code): showThinkingSummaries is ignored — thinking arrives empty (display: omitted) on Fable 5 / Opus 4.7+, "Thought process" panel permanently empty
- [BUG] Desktop app artifact-preview renderer balloons to 7.6 GB, driving the macOS memory pressure that makes the Claude Code daemon evict background sessions
- Desktop app: offer to resume interrupted runs after a relaunch/update (macOS "reopen windows" style)
- [BUG] Claude desktop app leaks pseudo-terminal (pty) master fds, exhausting macOS `kern.tty.ptmx_max` and locking out all terminal apps
- macOS desktop: file-link right-click menu disappears when hovering the "Open in…" submenu
- [BUG] Desktop App (Cowork/local agent mode): AskUserQuestion never renders — hangs until session stop auto-denies (regression since 2026-06-03; re-filing locked #26940)
- [BUG] Session history silently wiped after app update — no server-side backup, no export, no warning
- [BUG] Claude Desktop 1.7196.0 (macOS): "Can't rewind to this message" persists with no plugins installed — plugin-independent variant of #57206
- [BUG] Chat tab disappears when switching from Anthropic login to third-party API gateway
- Desktop app ignores `model` field in ~/.claude/settings.json
- [BUG] CCD-worktree sessions never surface PR status (chip + sidebar icon stay grey); cloud sessions work
- [BUG] Desktop app hangs on new messages in long sessions
- [BUG] Claude Desktop NodeJS Env + NVM Path Sorting
- Bug: Claude Desktop window content clipped on left side
- [BUG] Sidebar overlay extends past sidebar
- [BUG] 1.3036.0: CoWork sessions crash with "Claude Code process exited with code 1" on first message — terminal CLI works fine