Windows native installer binary (.local/bin/claude.exe) does not fire user-defined hooks

[DavidLerner]

Bug Description

On Windows, user-defined command hooks (SessionStart, PreToolUse, PostToolUse, etc.) stop firing under certain conditions. In our case, hooks worked with an npm-installed Claude Code, stopped working when a native installer binary (~/.local/bin/claude.exe) was also present and took PATH precedence, and resumed working after removing the native binary.

We have not yet confirmed whether the native installer alone (without npm coexistence) has the same issue. The root cause may be a conflict between the two installation methods rather than a defect in either one.

Environment

• OS: Windows 11 Enterprise 10.0.26100
• Claude Code version: 2.1.41 (both binaries)
• npm path: AppData\Roaming\npm\claude.cmd
• Native installer path: ~\.local\bin\claude.exe

Steps to Reproduce

1. Install Claude Code via npm: npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code

2. Also have the native installer binary present at ~\.local\bin\claude.exe

3. Configure user-defined hooks in .claude/hooks.json (e.g., SessionStart hooks that write to an audit log)

4. Start a session — ~\.local\bin\claude.exe takes PATH precedence over npm

5. Observe that no user-defined hooks fire (verified by checking audit log)

6. Remove or rename ~\.local\bin\claude.exe so npm's claude.cmd resolves instead

7. Start a new session

8. Observe that all user-defined hooks fire correctly

Evidence

Tested across 7 sessions. Hook firing correlated with which binary was resolved via PATH:

Session	Binary	Version	Hooks?
1-2	npm (claude.cmd)	2.1.39	YES
3	native (claude.exe)	2.1.41	NO
4	native (claude.exe)	2.1.41	YES (intermittent)
5-6	native (claude.exe, shadowing npm)	2.1.41	NO
7	npm (claude.cmd) after removing native	2.1.41	YES

Internal Claude Code callbacks (e.g., PostToolUse:Read callback) appear in session JSONL even when user-defined hooks don't fire — only user-defined command hooks are affected.

What We Don't Know

• Whether the native installer alone (npm uninstalled) fires hooks correctly
• Whether the coexistence of both installation methods is the root cause
• Whether this is Windows-specific

Additional Context

• hooks.json is valid JSON with correct script paths
• All hook scripts execute correctly when run manually (echo {} | python script.py)
• No disableAllHooks setting configured
• This is a blocker for projects that depend heavily on hooks (e.g., framework enforcement, TDD compliance, session bootstrapping)

Current Workaround

Remove the native installer binary and use the npm-installed version:

ren %USERPROFILE%\.local\bin\claude.exe claude.exe.bak

[github-actions]

Found 2 possible duplicate issues:

1. [BUG] Plugin SessionStart hook fails on Windows (hook script never executes) #21468
2. [BUG] No hook is working on Windows #10450

This issue will be automatically closed as a duplicate in 3 days.

• If your issue is a duplicate, please close it and 👍 the existing issue instead
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🤖 Generated with Claude Code

[DavidLerner]

Update: Root cause confirmed — coexistence bug, not native installer bug

We completed the isolated test described in the issue. Results:

Test: Native installer alone (npm uninstalled)

1. Uninstalled npm version: npm uninstall -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
2. Restored native binary: ren %USERPROFILE%\.local\bin\claude.exe.bak claude.exe
3. Verified where claude resolves to ONLY ~\.local\bin\claude.exe
4. Started new session

Result: All 3 SessionStart hooks fired correctly.

Hook	Timestamp (UTC)	Result
ensure_plugin_registered	2026-02-13 16:12:48	already_registered
inject_phase_context	2026-02-13 16:12:53	Phase context injected
update_statusline_state	2026-02-13 16:12:57	Status line updated

Updated session history (8 sessions)

Session	Binary	Coexistence?	Hooks?
1-2	npm (claude.cmd)	Yes (native also in PATH)	YES
3-4	native (claude.exe)	Yes (npm also installed)	NO
5	native (claude.exe)	Yes	YES (intermittent)
6-7	native (shadowing npm)	Yes	NO
8	npm only	No	YES
9	native only	No	YES

Conclusion

The native installer binary works fine in isolation. The bug only manifests when both npm-installed claude.cmd and native claude.exe are present in PATH simultaneously. One installation method shadows the other, but the hook resolution apparently gets confused about which installation's configuration to use.

Workaround

Use either installation method, but not both:

• Native only: uninstall npm version (npm uninstall -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code)
• npm only: rename native binary (ren %USERPROFILE%\.local\bin\claude.exe claude.exe.bak)

This is not a duplicate of #21468 or #10450 — those are about hooks not working at all, whereas this is specifically about a coexistence conflict between two installation methods on Windows.

[github-actions]

Closing for now — inactive for too long. Please open a new issue if this is still relevant.

[github-actions]

This issue has been automatically locked since it was closed and has not had any activity for 7 days. If you're experiencing a similar issue, please file a new issue and reference this one if it's relevant.