claude-code - 💡(How to fix) Fix [BUG] Windows: Two parallel installs (Squirrel + MSIX) both reporting v1.8089.1 cause Code Recents to permanently empty on app restart

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?

Summary

On Windows, the Claude Desktop installer appears to leave both a Squirrel/Electron install AND a Microsoft Store (MSIX/AppX) install side-by-side, both reporting version 1.8089.1. They share the process name claude.exe but write to completely different data paths. The result: the Code tab "Recents" list is permanently empty across app restarts even though sessions are being created and the on-disk index files are valid.

This is reproducible across multiple auto-update cycles and survives full clean reinstalls.

Environment

• OS: Windows 11
• Claude Desktop: 1.8089.1 — installed twice in parallel:
  • Squirrel/Electron: C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Local\AnthropicClaude\app-1.8089.1\claude.exe
  • MSIX/Store: C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\Claude_1.8089.1.0_x64__pzs8sxrjxfjjc\ (package Claude_1.8089.1.0_x64__pzs8sxrjxfjjc)
• Account: Max plan
• Previous chat support ticket: 215474356605023 (open >24h before human response)

Steps to Reproduce

1. Use Claude Desktop on Windows over multiple auto-update cycles
2. Open Code tab → Recents
3. Observe that sessions you created (and which have valid .json index files on disk) do not appear
4. Cowork tab also shows a "Cowork requires a newer installation. Reinstall the desktop app" popup, despite already running the newest version

Expected vs Actual

Expected: Code → Recents lists every session that has a valid local_<id>.json index file under the configured sessions directory, regardless of which app build wrote it or when.

Actual: Recents only lists sessions created during the current process lifetime. Closing and reopening the app — or any auto-update — empties the list visually. The underlying session data and index files remain intact on disk.

Root Cause Investigation

Through PowerShell diagnostics I confirmed:

1. Session transcripts intact: ~/.claude/projects/ contains 14 valid .jsonl session files, including the ones the UI claims do not exist.

2. Valid .json indexes exist — but in the MSIX sandbox, not the Electron path:

The Squirrel/Electron install expects indexes under %APPDATA%\Claude\claude-code-sessions\ — that directory does not exist on my machine.

The MSIX install has them under its sandboxed location:

What Should Happen?

The Code → Recents list should display every session that has a valid local_<id>.json index file under the configured sessions directory, regardless of which app build wrote it or when. Closing/reopening the app or running an auto-update should not cause sessions to disappear from the UI when their index files are intact on disk.

Error Messages/Logs

No explicit error message. Symptom is a silent empty list in Code → Recents.

Cowork tab popup: "Cowork requires a newer installation. Reinstall the desktop app to access Cowork and start handing off longer tasks."

Squirrel update log shows benign FileNotFoundException for AnthropicClaude-1.8089.1-full.nupkg after package was moved during update — likely unrelated but flagged in case relevant.

Steps to Reproduce

1. Install Claude Desktop on Windows (auto-update may install both Squirrel and MSIX variants in parallel)
2. Create one or more sessions in the Code tab; verify they appear in Recents during the current process lifetime
3. Fully exit the app (tray exit + confirm no claude.exe in Task Manager)
4. Reopen the app
5. Open Code → Recents
6. Result: list is empty even though local_*.json index files exist on disk

Verification PowerShell: Get-AppxPackage -Name "Claude" | Select-Object Name, Version, InstallLocation Get-ChildItem "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\AnthropicClaude" -Directory Get-ChildItem "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\Packages\Claude_pzs8sxrjxfjjc\LocalCache\Roaming\Claude\claude-code-sessions" -Recurse -Filter "local_*.json"

If both an AnthropicClaude folder AND a Claude_pzs8sxrjxfjjc package exist at the same version, the bug is reproducible.

Claude Model

None

Is this a regression?

Yes, this worked in a previous version

Last Working Version

Unknown exact build; bug first observed in 1.7196.3 and persists in 1.8089.1

Claude Code Version

2.1.142 (per ~/.claude/claude-code/2.1.142/.verified marker prior to cleanup; binary now removed after uninstall sequence)

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

Windows

Terminal/Shell

PowerShell

Additional Information

Related GitHub issues:

• #58678 — same symptom (Code Recents empty on Windows) but different root cause (.json.tmp atomic rename failure). My install has zero .json.tmp files, so it's not that bug — it's the dual-install / sandbox redirect described above.
• #60333 — same 1.7196.x → 1.8089.x cycle, Cowork popup, reported on macOS one day ago.

Anthropic Support ticket reference: 215474356605023 (chat ticket open >24h; email escalation responded with confirmation that this requires engineering attention).

Resolution attempted on my end: I uninstalled the Squirrel/Electron variant via its own Update.exe --uninstall, leaving only the MSIX/Store install. The Start Menu shortcut for the MSIX disappeared after this, suggesting the two installations share registry entries that the Squirrel uninstaller also removes. I had to recreate the shortcut manually via shell:AppsFolder\Claude_pzs8sxrjxfjjc!App.

I can provide on request:

• Full PowerShell diagnostic outputs (~30 commands confirming the dual-install + sandbox redirect)
• ~/.claude/debug and ~/.claude/telemetry zipped (already sent to [email protected])
• Screenshots of empty Recents tab and Cowork "requires newer installation" popup

Suggested triage labels: area:desktop, platform:windows, regression.