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Claude Desktop's local Claude Code integration forces Okta re-authentication every ~24h, unlike Cowork and cloud-hosted sessions #82721

Description

@berkeleyjess

Environment

  • OS: macOS (darwin-arm64)
  • Claude Desktop app, org uses Okta/SSO-gated login
  • Standalone Claude Code CLI (native install): 2.1.220
  • Claude Desktop's bundled local Claude Code (~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude-code/): 2.1.142
  • Claude Desktop's bundled cloud/VM Claude Code (~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude-code-vm/): 2.1.142

Description

When using Claude Code launched locally from within Claude Desktop, I'm prompted to re-authenticate via our Okta/SSO login roughly every 24 hours — a browser window opens, I complete Okta SSO, then it says to return to Claude Desktop, where the session resumes.

This does not happen for:

  • Regular Claude Desktop chat
  • The "Cowork" feature in Claude Desktop
  • Claude Code sessions launched in "cloud"/VM mode from Desktop
  • The standalone Claude Code CLI (claude in a terminal, using API key auth)

Only the locally-launched Claude Code integration inside Desktop hits this every ~24h.

Steps already taken

  • Confirmed with our IT/Okta admin — there is no organization-level session policy that would explain a 24h forced re-auth.
  • Fully quit and restarted Claude Desktop, signed out and back in — issue persists.

Observation

The local Claude Code bundle inside Desktop (2.1.142) is noticeably behind the current standalone CLI release (2.1.220). This version gap seems like a plausible place for a stale token-refresh bug to live, given every other auth path (Desktop chat, Cowork, cloud-hosted Claude Code, standalone CLI) stays authenticated without issue.

Expected behavior

Claude Code launched locally from Desktop should silently refresh its session (as Cowork and cloud-hosted sessions apparently do), not require a full interactive Okta re-login every 24 hours.

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