[BUG] Git detection fails on macOS Tahoe despite git being installed

[traeuker]

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 desktop app on macOS shows "Git is required for local sessions. Run xcode-select --install in Terminal to install the Command Line Tools, then restart the app" — but git is installed and fully functional.

System info:

$ which git
/usr/bin/git

$ /usr/bin/git --version
git version 2.50.1 (Apple Git-155)

$ arch -x86_64 /usr/bin/git --version
git version 2.50.1 (Apple Git-155)

$ xcode-select -p
/Library/Developer/CommandLineTools

Xcode Command Line Tools are installed. xcode-select --install confirms they're already present. softwareupdate shows no pending updates. Git works under both native ARM64 and Rosetta (x86_64).

What Should Happen?

Claude Code should detect git at /usr/bin/git and start normally.

Error Messages/Logs

Git is required for local sessions. Run xcode-select --install in Terminal to install the Command Line Tools, then restart the app.

Steps to Reproduce

1. Open Claude Code desktop app on macOS
2. Error appears: "Git is required for local sessions…"
3. Verify git works in terminal (/usr/bin/git --version → git version 2.50.1)

Claude Model

Not sure / Multiple models

Is this a regression?

Yes, this worked in a previous version

Last Working Version

No response

Claude Code Version

Claude 1.1.7203 (034f07) 2026-03-17T17:48:28.000Z

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

macOS

Terminal/Shell

Terminal.app (macOS)

Additional Information

What I've Tried

• Quit and relaunched Claude Code (Cmd+Q)
• sudo xcode-select --reset
• Removed and reinstalled Command Line Tools (sudo rm -rf /Library/Developer/CommandLineTools + xcode-select --install)
• Launched from terminal via open -a "Claude Code"
• Set GUI app PATH via sudo launchctl config user path "/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/opt/homebrew/bin" + reboot
• Reinstalled Claude Code

None of these resolved the issue.

Possibly Related

• Git not detected in Claude Code desktop app on Windows despite correct installation #34496 — same error on Windows, also with git correctly installed
• Claude Code Architecture Mismatch on Apple Silicon Macs #4749 — Claude Code running under Rosetta on Apple Silicon (though git works fine under both architectures here)

[github-actions]

Found 2 possible duplicate issues:

1. Git not detected in Claude Code desktop app on Windows despite correct installation #34496
2. [BUG] Error: Git is required but was not found. Install git and try again. #29898

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
• To prevent auto-closure, add a comment or 👎 this comment

🤖 Generated with Claude Code

[traeuker]

Solved. The root cause was that macOS's built-in /usr/bin/git is an Apple shim that can trigger Xcode license checks. The Claude Desktop app appears to call git in a non-interactive context where this check fails silently — even though git --version works perfectly fine in Terminal.

Fix: Install git via Homebrew to bypass the Apple shim entirely:

brew install git
brew link --overwrite git

If brew link fails with "Directory not empty", run:

rm -rf /opt/homebrew/bin/git
brew link --overwrite git

Then fully quit the Desktop app (Cmd+Q) and reopen it.

Environment:

• macOS 26.3.1
• Claude 1.1.7203
• /usr/bin/git 2.50.1 (Apple Git-155)
• Xcode Command Line Tools installed, full Xcode not installed

[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.