[BUG] Claude Desktop (Windows MSIX): severe flickering on NVIDIA RTX 50-series, fixed by --disable-direct-composition, but MSIX packaging blocks applying the workaround

[SolNine-Git]

Summary

Claude Desktop (Windows, MSIX/Store package) exhibits severe full-window flickering/strobing on NVIDIA RTX 50-series. Root-caused to a DirectComposition presentation conflict: launching with --disable-direct-composition fully resolves it. Two packaging/launch pitfalls make the workaround hard to apply (details below), so a hardware-acceleration or DComp toggle in app settings would be the real fix.

Environment

• App: Claude Desktop 1.22209.3.0, MSIX (Store) package Claude_pzs8sxrjxfjjc
• Runtime: Electron 42.5.1, Chromium 148.0.7778.271 (extracted from the shipped binary's embedded user-agent string)
• OS: Windows 11 Pro 25H2, build 26200.8653
• GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti, driver 610.62 (single 4K @ 120 Hz display attached to it)
• CPU: Intel Core Ultra 9 285K (iGPU present; issue reproduces identically with the iGPU disabled in BIOS, so this is not a hybrid-GPU/cross-adapter problem)
• Board: ASUS ROG STRIX Z890-A, BIOS 3202

Symptom

Continuous rapid full-window flicker/strobe ("seizure-inducing") of the Claude Desktop window during normal use. Not tied to dark/light theme, and not fixed by per-app G-Sync Fixed Refresh (both tested).

Root cause / confirmed fix

Launching the packaged exe directly with:

"C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\Claude_<version>\app\Claude.exe" --disable-direct-composition

completely eliminates the flicker. Reproducible on/off across many launches.

Why the workaround is painful (please fix in-app)

1. MSIX alias drops arguments. The Start-menu entry launches via the app-execution alias, which silently ignores shortcut arguments. ELECTRON_EXTRA_LAUNCH_ARGS is also ignored (consistent with [BUG] Claude Desktop Windows MSIX - screen flickering every ~15 seconds #31990). The only way to pass the flag is a shortcut targeting the versioned WindowsApps\...\app\Claude.exe path directly, which goes stale on every app update.
2. Launching via a hidden PowerShell wrapper re-introduces strobing even with the flag applied (app inherits a hidden/minimized startup show-state; appears to break Chromium occlusion tracking). Cost us hours: the flag looked ineffective when the launcher itself was the second bug.
3. Electron single-instance behavior: if a flagless instance is running (auto-start, crash-restart), launching with the flag silently no-ops into a focus of the old window.

Related (all closed as invalid; filing here for the public record, also submitted via support)

• [BUG] Claude Desktop App — Screen Flickering & Mouse Lag on Windows #56805: same symptom + mouse lag, RTX 5070 Ti, --disable-gpu-compositing also works (heavier hammer, same subsystem)
• [BUG] Claude Desktop Windows MSIX - screen flickering every ~15 seconds #31990: MSIX flicker, ELECTRON_EXTRA_LAUNCH_ARGS ignored
• [BUG] Claude Desktop (Windows): steady ~1Hz full-screen flicker in dark mode only — single-GPU, HDR off #70764, [BUG] Claude Desktop (Windows): Bursty frame delivery triggers G-Sync flicker (119Hz → ~40Hz) at end of response streaming and while typing #72405: other flicker variants (dark-mode 1 Hz, G-Sync bursty frame delivery)

Ask

Expose a hardware acceleration / DirectComposition toggle in Claude Desktop settings (standard in most Electron apps), or honor ELECTRON_EXTRA_LAUNCH_ARGS in the MSIX package, so affected users don't need version-pinned shortcut surgery.

[SolNine-Git]

A few more details if it helps to resolve, upon repeated attempts no method was found via Nvidia control panel specific application adjustments (Fixed Refresh, Disable GSync, Vsync Variations etc.).

Mini/Max Window would generate a brief pause in the flickering, then various sections of the screen would be populated with black squares, full window flashing, blurred text, and so forth.

Hopefully this facilitates a future fix.