[BUG] Claude Code crashes on Windows Enterprise - EPERM: operation not permitted, uv_spawn 'reg'

[vipul85agarwal]

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?

Claude Code extension fails to start on versions after 2.1.49. The claude.exe binary
tries to spawn reg.exe (Windows Registry command) at startup, which is blocked by
enterprise Group Policy. The extension crashes immediately with exit code 1.

What Should Happen?

Claude Code should start normally without requiring reg.exe, or gracefully fall back
when reg.exe is blocked. Version 2.1.49 works fine without needing reg.exe.

Error Messages/Logs

EPERM: operation not permitted, uv_spawn 'reg'
path: "reg",
syscall: "uv_spawn",
errno: -1,
code: "EPERM"
Followed by:
Failed to load config cache: Error: Query closed before response received
Error from Claude: Error: Claude Code process exited with code 1

Steps to Reproduce

1. Use Windows 11 Enterprise with Group Policy that blocks spawning reg.exe
2. Install Claude Code extension version 2.1.72 (or any version after 2.1.49)
3. Open VSCode
4. Claude Code crashes immediately on startup with the above EPERM error
5. Downgrading to 2.1.49 resolves the issue

Claude Model

Opus

Is this a regression?

Yes, this worked in a previous version

Last Working Version

2.1.49

Claude Code Version

2.1.72

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

Windows

Terminal/Shell

VS Code integrated terminal

Additional Information

• OS: Windows 11 Enterprise 10.0.26100
• Auth: Claude.ai OAuth (team subscription) - credentials stored in .credentials.json
• Setting ANTHROPIC_API_KEY environment variable does not help
• Clean reinstall does not help
• The reg.exe call was introduced after 2.1.49 and appears unrelated to credential storage
• Only workaround: pin extension to version 2.1.49

[vipul85agarwal]

any update or suggestion on this issue

[vipul85agarwal]

Still broken on v2.1.90 (April 2026)

Confirming this regression persists on the latest version (2.1.90). Exact same error — EPERM: operation not permitted, uv_spawn 'reg.exe' — on Windows 11 Enterprise with Group Policy restrictions.

Tried the following workarounds, none helped:

Setting NO_PROXY, HTTP_PROXY, HTTPS_PROXY via claudeCode.environmentVariables in VS Code settings
Clean reinstall (uninstall + delete extension cache + reinstall)
Running with admin privileges does work, confirming this is purely a permissions block on reg.exe spawning, not corruption
Still pinned to 2.1.49 as the only working option. This has been broken for 6+ weeks across multiple versions. Would appreciate any acknowledgment or ETA for a fix — even a graceful fallback when reg.exe is blocked would unblock enterprise users.

[creationjeux]

+1 from Windows 11 Home (not Enterprise), no GPO. Bug still present in 2.1.110.
Stuck on 2.1.49 — missing out on 60+ versions of features and fixes.

Additional data from my debug (filed as #49522):

• Process dies silently ~67ms after "Git remote URL: null" log line
• Affects both VSCode extension AND standalone CLI
• Confirmed not a permissions issue (reg query HKCU\Software works fine)

@ashwin-ant any chance this could get prioritized? It's been open for 5+ weeks.

[at25time-debug]

+1 from Windows 11 user (non-Enterprise, no GPO)

Environment:

• OS: Windows 11
• Node.js: v24.14.0
• Claude Code: latest version
• Shell: PowerShell (Administrator)

Symptoms:

• Claude Code process exits with code 1 during or after task execution
• Affects multiple projects: "Build system to predict future standard time",
  "Compare AI Agents and Agentic AI concepts", "Create project with LSE_UI"
• npm install fails with EPERM errno -4048 syscall: spawn
• claude.exe binary not created after npm install
• Only claude.ps1 is created but cannot execute

Attempted workarounds (all failed):

• Set ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned
• Changed npm prefix to C:\npm-global
• Added CLAUDE_CODE_GIT_BASH_PATH to settings.json
• npm install --ignore-scripts
• Clean reinstall multiple times

Request: Please prioritize this fix or provide a working native Windows
installer that bypasses npm spawn issues. This has been broken for 6+ weeks.

[pluriseunum]

+1 from another Windows 11 Home user (no GPO, no Enterprise). 2.1.49 is the only
working version; 2.1.120 / 2.1.121 / 2.1.122 / 2.1.123 all fail identically with
silent exit-0 after Git remote URL: null. Confirmed via process inspection that
the binary holds an Established TLS connection to Anthropic that never gets a
response — process is idle waiting on something post-init (reg.exe spawn fits).

Pinning to 2.1.49 means losing 70+ versions of features. Would really appreciate
either (a) a graceful fallback when the post-init reg.exe call fails, or (b) a
flag to skip credential-manager integration entirely.