claude-code - 💡(How to fix) Fix [BUG] Error: Claude Code process exited with code 3 when I tried to use the claude code plugin in visual studio code [1 comments, 1 participants]

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?

When I open the claude code prompt window in the visual studio code, it is posting the error Error: Claude Code process exited with code 3

What Should Happen?

I should see the prompt window without any error.

Error Messages/Logs

This is the output log when the failure occurs.
2026-05-13 15:32:13.385 [info] From claude:
panic: Segmentation fault at address 0x113
panicked during a panic. Aborting.

2026-05-13 15:32:13.434 [info] Closing Claude on channel: 5w0ya9jxran
2026-05-13 15:32:13.434 [error] Error spawning Claude (on channel 5w0ya9jxran): Error: Claude Code process exited with code 3
2026-05-13 15:32:13.434 [error] Failed to load config cache: Error: Claude Code process exited with code 3
2026-05-13 15:32:13.435 [info] Getting authentication status
2026-05-13 15:32:13.435 [info] Getting authentication status
2026-05-13 15:32:13.435 [error] Error processing client request: Error: Claude Code process exited with code 3
2026-05-13 15:32:13.439 [info] Received message from webview: {“type”:“interrupt_claude”,“channelId”:“50ae2i3p4x4”}
2026-05-13 15:32:13.439 [warning] Channel not found: 50ae2i3p4x4
2026-05-13 15:32:20.667 [info] Received message from webview: {“type”:“request”,“requestId”:“jj453n36wel”,“request”:{“type”:“open_output_panel”}}

Steps to Reproduce

On a windows VIRTUAL machine, just open visual studio code (v120) and open the claude code plugin window (v 2.1.92). You will simply see the error on top of the claude window.

Claude Model

Sonnet (default)

Is this a regression?

I don't know

Last Working Version

No response

Claude Code Version

2.1.92

Platform

Other

Operating System

Windows

Terminal/Shell

VS Code integrated terminal

Additional Information

This is the output log when the error occurs. This is the output log when the failure occurs. 2026-05-13 15:32:13.385 [info] From claude: panic: Segmentation fault at address 0x113 panicked during a panic. Aborting.

2026-05-13 15:32:13.434 [info] Closing Claude on channel: 5w0ya9jxran 2026-05-13 15:32:13.434 [error] Error spawning Claude (on channel 5w0ya9jxran): Error: Claude Code process exited with code 3 2026-05-13 15:32:13.434 [error] Failed to load config cache: Error: Claude Code process exited with code 3 2026-05-13 15:32:13.435 [info] Getting authentication status 2026-05-13 15:32:13.435 [info] Getting authentication status 2026-05-13 15:32:13.435 [error] Error processing client request: Error: Claude Code process exited with code 3 2026-05-13 15:32:13.439 [info] Received message from webview: {“type”:“interrupt_claude”,“channelId”:“50ae2i3p4x4”} 2026-05-13 15:32:13.439 [warning] Channel not found: 50ae2i3p4x4 2026-05-13 15:32:20.667 [info] Received message from webview: {“type”:“request”,“requestId”:“jj453n36wel”,“request”:{“type”:“open_output_panel”}}

This is the explanation from claude (on my windows laptop) for the above error That’s a native binary crash — a segmentation fault at a near-null address (0x113). The “panicked during a panic. Aborting.” message is characteristic of a Rust binary double-panic, meaning Claude Code’s native component is crashing at a very low level on your VM.

This is a VM environment compatibility issue with the Claude Code native binary. The address 0x113 (275) is suspiciously close to null, which typically means a null/invalid pointer dereference in native code — often triggered by a missing Windows API, an unsupported CPU instruction, or a DLL that behaves differently under virtualization. I am checking whether anyone is able to use claude on windows virtual machine in specific.

Things to check:

Windows Event Viewer — Go to Event Viewer → Windows Logs → Application and look for crash entries around 15:32:13. It will show the faulting module name (which DLL or EXE crashed). Windows build number — Even if the “version” looks the same, the build number may differ. Run: winver Compare the exact build (e.g., 26100.xxxx) between your VM and laptop. 3. Visual C++ Redistributables — Check Settings → Apps for “Microsoft Visual C++ 2015-2022 Redistributable”. Missing or older versions can cause this. 4. Hypervisor type — What VM software are you using (VMware, Hyper-V, VirtualBox)? Some hypervisors don’t expose certain CPU features that native code may rely on.

Most likely fix: This is a bug that needs to be reported to Anthropic since it’s a native binary crash rather than something you can easily configure around. File an issue at github.com/anthropics/claude-code/issues with your VM type, Windows build number, and this log output.

What hypervisor/VM software are you running?