claude-code - 💡(How to fix) Fix [BUG] Cowork VM guest connection timeout on ARM64 Windows (Snapdragon X Plus) - never connects [1 comments, 2 participants]

Failure pattern from cowork_vm_node.log Every attempt follows the same sequence: [VM:steps] download_and_sdk_prepare completed [VM:steps] load_swift_api completed (0ms) [VM:start] smol-bin.arm64.vhdx copied successfully [VM:start] Windows VM service configured [VM:steps] create_network completed [VM:steps] create_vm_config completed [VM:steps] vm_boot completed (1423ms) [VM:steps] add_plan9_shares completed (16ms) [VM:start] Still waiting for guest connection... 10313ms elapsed, 21 polls [VM:start] Still waiting for guest connection... 20553ms elapsed, 41 polls [VM:start] Still waiting for guest connection... 30773ms elapsed, 61 polls [VM:start] Still waiting for guest connection... 40899ms elapsed, 81 polls [VM:start] Still waiting for guest connection... 51087ms elapsed, 101 polls [VM:start] Connection timeout, last completed step: add_plan9_shares Dispatching startup error: VM connection timeout after 60 seconds [VM:start] Startup failed: Error: VM connection timeout after 60 seconds The VM boots in ~1.4 seconds, all steps complete, but the guest never connects. Auto-reinstall triggers, deletes and re-downloads the bundle, and the same failure repeats. Later attempts also show repeated SDK install timeouts: [postConnect] Installing SDK: subpath=c/Users/cam/AppData/Local/Packages/Claude_pzs8sxrjxfjjc/LocalCache/Roaming/Claude/claude-code-vm, version=2.1.92 [startVM] Post-connect setup failed on already-connected fast path: Error: request timed out after 30s

TL;DR

The most likely fix or workaround for the Cowork connection timeout issue is to investigate and resolve the potential compatibility problems between the ARM64 Windows 11 Pro and the Claude Code VM, considering the error patterns and the fact that Claude Chat and Claude Code work perfectly on the same machine.

Guidance

• Review the logs to understand the sequence of events leading to the timeout, focusing on the add_plan9_shares step and the subsequent waiting period for the guest connection.
• Investigate potential issues with the Plan9 shares, given the reference to related issue #43452 (Plan9 share failure on Windows), which might indicate a known problem that needs a specific workaround or fix.
• Consider testing the Cowork feature on a different machine or environment to isolate if the issue is specific to the ARM64 architecture or the Windows 11 Pro build.
• Look into the SDK installation timeouts ([postConnect] Installing SDK) and how they might be related to the overall connection timeout, potentially indicating a network or resource issue.

Example

No specific code example can be provided without more details on the implementation, but reviewing the cowork_vm_node.log for patterns or errors related to the SDK installation and Plan9 shares could offer clues.

Notes

The issue seems to be highly specific to the environment (ARM64 Windows 11 Pro) and the application (Claude Code Cowork feature), suggesting that the solution might involve updates or workarounds specific to these components. The fact that Claude Chat and Claude Code work without issues on the same machine indicates that the problem is not with the hypervisor or basic virtualization setup.

Recommendation

Apply a workaround, as the issue seems to be related to specific compatibility or configuration problems rather than a straightforward bug that can be fixed with an upgrade. The reason is that the problem is highly environment-specific, and without a clear indication of a version fix, a workaround seems more appropriate.