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claude-code - 💡(How to fix) Fix [BUG] Claude Code tab: exit code 127 + Malformed Mach-o on Intel Mac

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Error Message

The Claude Code tab in Claude Desktop fails to start on an Intel Mac with the following error:

Error Messages/Logs

  1. Error appears immediately: "Claude Code binary is missing or damaged"

Fix Action

Fix / Workaround

Workaround Using Claude Code directly in Terminal as a temporary workaround.

Code Example

Claude Code process exited with code 127
Failed to spawn process: Malformed Mach-o file

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RAW_BUFFERClick to expand / collapse

Preflight Checklist

  • I have searched existing issues and this hasn't been reported yet
  • This is a single bug report (please file separate reports for different bugs)
  • I am using the latest version of Claude Code

What's Wrong?

What's Wrong?

The Claude Code tab in Claude Desktop fails to start on an Intel Mac with the following error:

Claude Code process exited with code 127
Failed to spawn process: Malformed Mach-o file

Chat works fine. Only the Claude Code tab is affected.

Environment

  • Mac chip: Intel (x86_64)
  • macOS version: [add your macOS version here — Apple menu → About This Mac]
  • Claude Desktop version: [add version here — Claude menu → About Claude]
  • Claude Code CLI version: 2.1.146 (installed via native installer, working in Terminal)
  • Downloaded from: claude.ai/download (not App Store)

Actual Behavior Process exits with code 127 and "Malformed Mach-o file" — suggesting the bundled binary inside Claude Desktop is built for ARM (Apple Silicon) and is incompatible with Intel x86_64 architecture.

What I've Tried

  • Reinstalled Claude Desktop from claude.ai/download
  • Uninstalled npm version of Claude Code (sudo npm uninstall -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code)
  • Reinstalled via native installer (curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash)
  • Claude Code CLI works correctly in Terminal (confirmed with claude --version → 2.1.146)

Workaround Using Claude Code directly in Terminal as a temporary workaround.

Related Issues

  • #58495 (exit code 127, Intel Mac)
  • #54274 (exit code 127, Apple Silicon)

What Should Happen?

Expected Behavior Claude Code tab launches successfully.

Error Messages/Logs

Steps to Reproduce

Steps to Reproduce

  1. Open Claude Desktop on Intel Mac
  2. Click the Claude Code tab
  3. Error appears immediately: "Claude Code binary is missing or damaged"

Claude Model

None

Is this a regression?

Yes, this worked in a previous version

Last Working Version

No response

Claude Code Version

Claude 1.8555.0 (8245b7) 2026-05-21T05:49:11.000Z

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

macOS

Terminal/Shell

Terminal.app (macOS)

Additional Information

No response

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claude-code - 💡(How to fix) Fix [BUG] Claude Code tab: exit code 127 + Malformed Mach-o on Intel Mac