claude-code - 💡(How to fix) Fix [BUG] markdown links dont work in Claude code on Desktop [1 participants]

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anthropics/claude-code#52985Fetched 2026-04-25 06:15:29
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Error Message

Error Messages/Logs

Fix Action

Fix / Workaround

Markdown file links in assistant responses (e.g. [path](absolute/path/to/file.ext)) do not open the file when clicked in Claude Desktop on macOS. Expected: file opens in its default application (QuickTime for video, text editor for .md/.json, etc.). Actual: nothing happens. Workaround: ask the assistant to open the file via Bash.

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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?

Markdown file links in assistant responses (e.g. [path](absolute/path/to/file.ext)) do not open the file when clicked in Claude Desktop on macOS. Expected: file opens in its default application (QuickTime for video, text editor for .md/.json, etc.). Actual: nothing happens. Workaround: ask the assistant to open the file via Bash.

What Should Happen?

When clicked, it should either open in preview or the appropriate app. Today, it goes to preview, and nothing appears.

Error Messages/Logs

Steps to Reproduce

When claude builds artifacts it'll provide the path link to open them. it presents these as a clickable link. Try clicking one and notice what happens.

Claude Model

Opus

Is this a regression?

No, this never worked

Last Working Version

No response

Claude Code Version

Claude Code 2.1.114.

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

macOS

Terminal/Shell

Other

Additional Information

Claude Code on Claude Desktop

extent analysis

TL;DR

The issue can likely be resolved by modifying the link handling in Claude Code to use a compatible method for opening files on macOS.

Guidance

  • Investigate the link handling mechanism in Claude Code to determine why clicking on Markdown file links does not open the files in their default applications.
  • Consider using the open command via Bash as a temporary workaround, as mentioned in the issue report.
  • Review the documentation for the Anthropic API and Claude Code to see if there are any known issues or limitations with file linking on macOS.
  • Test the link handling with different file types to see if the issue is specific to certain file extensions.

Example

No code snippet is provided as the issue does not contain sufficient information about the implementation details.

Notes

The issue may be related to the specific implementation of link handling in Claude Code or the Anthropic API, and further investigation is needed to determine the root cause.

Recommendation

Apply workaround: use the open command via Bash to open files until a permanent fix is available, as it is mentioned as a working alternative in the issue report.

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