The desktop app issues on macOS — page 3
Issues the maintainers labelled both platform:macos and area:desktop.
1,581 issues · 430 open · 1,151 resolved (73%) · first seen Nov 6, 2025
Is this getting better or worse?
This class of problem is holding steady. 788 new reports in the last 90 days vs 769 in the 90 before — +2%. The open backlog peaked at 430 in 2026-08 and sits at 430 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
765 of these reports name the Claude Code build they were running, spanning 136 releases. Heaviest reporters:
- Claude Code v2.1.111
- Claude Code v2.1.229
- Claude Code v2.1.197
- Claude Code v2.1.92
- Claude Code v2.1.227
- Claude Code v2.1.142
- Claude Code v2.1.170
- Claude Code v2.1.209
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 34 days across 1,151 closures. Of the 1,151 closures with a recorded reason, 28% were closed as completed and 829 as not-planned or duplicate. The most recent completed fix landed in 2026-08.
Workarounds reported by the community
460 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 1,581 matches; the statistics above cover all 1,581.
- [BUG] Desktop app (Windows + macOS): new chat session repo selector is locked to last interacted-with repo and is unresponsive — Android unaffected
- [BUG] Cowork VM connection timeout after update to 1.32352.0 on Intel Mac (guest never connects)
- [BUG] Cowork task list can no longer be grouped by Project after merged Chat/Cowork Home became default (v1.26832.0)
- [BUG] Desktop Settings: "Branch prefix" (ccBranchPrefix) cannot be set empty — reverts to default "claude"
- Feature request: allow slash commands in agent view
- [BUG] Cowork Tab Missing from Sidebar — Runtime Not Initializing (v1.15962.1, macOS M4)
- [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] Claude Code Desktop eager loading MCPs while Claude Code CLI lazy loading
- [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)
- [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
- [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
- [BUG] Desktop (Cowork/Code): showThinkingSummaries is ignored — thinking arrives empty (display: omitted) on Fable 5 / Opus 4.7+, "Thought process" panel permanently empty
- [BUG] `/clear` in Claude Desktop resets current session in-place instead of creating a new session
- 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
- [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] macOS: Claude Desktop can't run hooks/git in TCC-protected folders (~/Documents) — `disclaimer` disclaims TCC responsibility, git getcwd() → "Operation not permitted"
- [BUG] Worktree branch prefix preference (ccBranchPrefix) ignored in v2.1.156 — hardcoded claude/MMDD- used
- [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] 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
- [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
- Preview panel: mobile/desktop viewport toggle button is gone
- 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
- Desktop app: slash command autocomplete missing user-created commands
- [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
- Desktop app: 'Last activity' filter cannot be set when Group by = custom group (works with Group by = State)
- [BUG] Built-in browser does not support passkey (WebAuthn) authentication on macOS — blocks GitHub login
- [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
- macOS desktop: file-link right-click menu disappears when hovering the "Open in…" submenu
- Phantom session rows + unauthenticated localhost bridge accepts writes from any local process
- Desktop app ignores `model` field in ~/.claude/settings.json
- [BUG] Desktop 1.6608.2 (macOS): user message bubble overlaps previous assistant response in Code view
- [BUG] Make Claude Desktop's auto-worktree behavior optional
- [BUG] Claude Desktop NodeJS Env + NVM Path Sorting
- [BUG] Claude Code panel in desktop app crashes immediately with "exited with code 1"
- [BUG] Claude Code Desktop GUI - exit code 1 on every session (Pro plan, Mac)
- [BUG] Claude Code process exited with code 1
- [BUG] Claude Desktop sidebar rendering bug - white/black overlay blocks content on macOS
- [BUG] macOS Desktop: Permission prompt has no Enter keybinding — requires ⌘⇧↵ / ⌘↵ only
- [BUG] Claude Code Desktop v1.3561.0 - "process exited with code 1" on every tool request (macOS Apple Silicon)
- [BUG] Claude Code transcripts loss
- File viewer in desktop app shows raw markdown instead of rendered formatting
- [BUG] Cowork stuck on “Starting session” for days, and “Working through a complex response…” for 42+ minutes (macOS)
- Desktop: 'transcript has no cwd — cannot import' after worktree deletion
- [BUG] Dispatch: messages processed but responses never render/delivered (macOS, read receipt only)
- Excalidraw MCP diagrams not rendering in Claude Code (desktop app)
- [BUG] Code mode broken after v2.1.78 update — .app bundle binary not spawnable by desktop SDK
- Browser pane: service-worker registration fails — script fetch never leaves the app
- [BUG] Desktop app: turns started by session resume or inter-session message hang with no first token, watchdog kills after ~980s (no_response) — spiked after auto-update 1.26832.0 → 1.28929.0
- [Bug] Claude Code fails to launch with EPERM error on macOS
- [BUG] Desktop: personal git-marketplace plugins never auto-update despite autoUpdate:true; Update button is a silent no-op; stale gitCommitSha after CLI update
- Remote SSH sessions: 'Reattach failed: auth error' after CLI version bump abandons in-flight session; stale helper servers accumulate
- [Bug] Rate limit reset countdown truncates to floor(hours) — "3h" shown when 3h56m remain
- MCP tool-result widgets render as empty boxes (Claude Code Desktop)
- [BUG] Cowork (macOS Desktop 1.9659.1): chat UI enters persistent broken state until app restart — messages stuck as ghost bubbles, AskUserQuestion never renders and is auto-denied (one confirmed trigger: webview connectivity loss)
- [BUG] Desktop + Bedrock: Haiku 4.5 sent as bare model ID (not inference profile) on Scheduled Task follow-ups → intermittent 400 "invalid model identifier"
- [BUG] Skills set to `context: fork` output getting swallowed up by Desktop UI
- Desktop Code tab: 'Create PR' panel surfaces stale rows for deleted branches and meaningless self-PR (main ← main)
- Claude Code Desktop silently uses project API keys for billing instead of subscription
- "Claude Code process exited with code 1" on macOS — real cause is folder privacy permission, no helpful error shown
- [BUG] Cowork tab missing in Mac desktop app on latest build, personal account
- [BUG] white vertical stripe hides left edge of text when right-side panel is pinned (Claude Desktop, macOS)
- On the App for Mac, the left bar partly covers the main dialogue windows
- [BUG] Branch name not displayed in session toolbar on Claude Desktop v1.2581.0 (macOS)
- [FEATURE] Desktop app: Remember/pin default project folder
- /desktop and /remote-control fail: CLI session transcript not found
- [FEATURE] Add JetBrains IDEs and Sublime Text to Desktop app 'Open in editor' dropdown
- [BUG] Cowork/Code session auth fails after March 25 outage - "sign-in expired" loop on macOS 26.3.1
- Claude Code desktop app: process exits with code 1 immediately on every message send
- [BUG] Connectors don't work when running scheduled tasks
- Changed files counter doesn't refresh after git push in desktop app
- [BUG] Desktop app crashes on hook_callback control request — "Failed to load session" on any query triggering tool use
- [BUG] Cowork workspace VM never completes guest_vsock_connect on Intel Mac after Aug 18 bundle update; error message incorrectly blames VPN
- Desktop: session list PR badges all reset to "open" after app update
- Group by PR status removed from Code tab sidebar (macOS desktop app, v1.21459.3)
- Desktop app's worktree pool reclaims/re-leases a directory while a session is still using it, detaching HEAD mid-task (and once, on the main clone itself)
- [BUG] /agents not working in desktop app
- [BUG] macOS version of Claude Desktop becomes corrupted, freezes, requiring full Reset App before it will work again
- [Bug] Claude Cowork fails to start on macOS arm64: Missing Claude Code binary and SSL protocol error
- Desktop app crash loop on macOS Tahoe 26.5.1 arm64: CCD bundle truncated to 172MB, errno -88; renderer v8-oom on /epitaxy route
- [BUG] Claude Code unusable on Pro plan due to 1M context bug — request for fix or credit
- Dispatch feature ignores CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_1M_CONTEXT — "Usage credits required for 1M context" blocks background agents
- [BUG] Session history silently wiped after app update — no server-side backup, no export, no warning
- [BUG] Desktop app 1.8089.1 crashes on launch: bundled Claude Code 2.1.142 binary is unsigned / malformed Mach-O (macOS arm64)
- [BUG] Claude desktop is not recognizing my pro account
- [BUG] Desktop-only: CLI exit 143 / system_error on cycles past ~5 min — bare CLI works fine with same binary, same model, same context
- [BUG] PR status badge is shown in every session's composer, not only the session that created the PR
- [BUG] my message text is stuck in the claude code desktop app when i scroll.
- [BUG] Dispatch stuck on "Asleep" / "Can't reach your desktop" — all local troubleshooting exhausted
- Cmd+click no longer opens multiple parallel sessions after v2.1.136 update (macOS)
- Renderer SIGTRAP (exitCode 5) on getPrStateForBranch for .claude/worktrees paths — 1.4758.0
- [BUG] Selecting a custom workspace location outside of the repo does not work