[BUG] : fresh native installation raise warning about npm

[S1M0N38]

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?

I've removed Claude code and related files entirely from my computer (macOS 26).

Then I've installed Claude code using

curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash

So I'm expecting a clean single installation, but when running claude doctor, I get

 claude doctor

 Diagnostics
 └ Currently running: native (2.0.19)
 └ Path: /Users/simo/.local/bin/claude
 └ Invoked: /Users/simo/.local/share/claude/versions/2.0.19
 └ Config install method: native
 └ Auto-updates enabled: default (true)
 └ Search: OK (bundled)
 Warning: Multiple installations found
 └ npm-global at /Users/simo/.local/bin/claude
 └ native at /Users/simo/.local/bin/claude
 Warning: Leftover npm global installation at /Users/simo/.local/bin/claude
 Fix: Run: npm -g uninstall @anthropic-ai/claude-code

 Press Enter to continue…

The file at /Users/simo/.local/bin/claude is a symlink to the /Users/simo/.local/share/claude/versions/2.0.19, however Claude doctor thinks that this is a NPM installation. I think this is a bug.

What Should Happen?

No warning

Error Messages/Logs

Steps to Reproduce

describe above

Claude Model

None

Is this a regression?

I don't know

Last Working Version

No response

Claude Code Version

2.0.19

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

macOS

Terminal/Shell

Other

Additional Information

No response

[github-actions]

Found 3 possible duplicate issues:

1. [BUG] Incorrect Installation Diagnostics for npm-global Installation #8523
2. [BUG] False positive "Config mismatch" warning when installation method matches #7231
3. Symlink Required for VS Code Extension After Local Installation Migration #3199

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

[FLGAI]

Claude Code's claude update command incorrectly identifies Homebrew cask
installations as npm global installations. When both native and Homebrew
cask are installed, it warns about a "leftover npm global installation" at
/opt/homebrew/bin/claude and suggests running npm -g uninstall
@anthropic-ai/claude-code, but no npm package exists. The detection logic
should check if the path is actually an npm installation versus a Homebrew
cask symlink.

Then when I run claude doctor:
Diagnostics
└ Currently running: native (2.0.36)
└ Path: /Users//.local/bin/claude
└ Invoked: /Users//.local/share/claude/versions/2.0.36
└ Config install method: native
└ Auto-updates: false
└ Search: OK (bundled)
Warning: Multiple installations found
└ npm-global at /opt/homebrew/bin/claude
└ native at /Users/*****/.local/bin/claude
Warning: Leftover npm global installation at /opt/homebrew/bin/claude
Fix: Run: npm -g uninstall @anthropic-ai/claude-code

I've fixed this by removing homebrew install of claude. But still thought you all might want to know.

[oskay]

Confirming FLGAI's Report: Homebrew Cask Misdetected as npm-global

I can confirm the same issue that FLGAI reported above. The Homebrew cask installation is incorrectly identified as an npm global installation.

My Environment

• Claude Code Version: 2.0.46 (native auto-updated) + 2.0.31 (Homebrew cask)
• Installation Method: Originally installed via brew install --cask claude-code
• OS: macOS (Darwin 23.6.0)
• Platform: Apple Silicon (Homebrew at /opt/homebrew)

The Issue

Running claude doctor shows:

Warning: Multiple installations found
└ npm-global at /opt/homebrew/bin/claude
└ native at /Users/oskay/.local/bin/claude
Warning: Leftover npm global installation at /opt/homebrew/bin/claude
Fix: Run: npm -g uninstall @anthropic-ai/claude-code

However:

• npm list -g confirms no Claude Code package installed via npm
• brew list shows claude-code is installed as a cask
• /opt/homebrew/bin/claude is a symlink to /opt/homebrew/Caskroom/claude-code/2.0.31/claude

The suggested fix (npm -g uninstall @anthropic-ai/claude-code) has no effect because there's no npm installation.

Correct Fix

brew uninstall --cask claude-code

This properly removes the Homebrew cask installation and resolves the warning.

Root Cause

The detection logic appears to misidentify any installation in /opt/homebrew/bin as npm-global, without distinguishing Homebrew cask installations. This is a common scenario since the Homebrew cask's own documentation warns:

"Claude Code's auto-updater installs updates to ~/.local/bin/claude and not to Homebrew's location."

Anyone who originally installed via brew install --cask claude-code will eventually end up with this dual-installation state as the auto-updater creates the native installation.

Suggested Fix

The /doctor command should check the actual installation type (perhaps by running brew list or checking if the path is in Caskroom) before suggesting the fix command.

[dave-shawley]

This is the closest to what I am seeing. Our installation process installs Claude Code by curling the install shell script through bash and installs some managed settings. After installation, claude doctor reports a Multiple installations found error:

% claude doctor

 Diagnostics
 └ Currently running: native (2.0.61)
 └ Path: /Users/.../.local/bin/claude
 └ Invoked: /Users/.../.local/share/claude/versions/2.0.61
 └ Config install method: native
 └ Auto-updates: false
 └ Search: OK (bundled)
 Warning: Multiple installations found
 └ npm-global at /Users/.../.local/bin/claude
 └ native at /Users/.../.local/bin/claude
 Warning: Leftover npm global installation at /Users/.../.local/bin/claude
 Fix: Run: npm -g uninstall @anthropic-ai/claude-code

As mentioned in this issue, there is not a NPM installation. In fact, /Users/.../.local/bin/claude is a symlink to the native version that the installer installed.

% ls -l ~/.local/bin/claude
lrwxr-xr-x  1 ...  staff  48 Dec  8 08:44 /Users/.../.local/bin/claude@ -> /Users/.../.local/share/claude/versions/2.0.61

The difference is that I do not have claude installed via homebrew or npm. The only copy is the one created (and symlinked) by install.sh. Another interesting note is that our NPM configuration would install claude into ~/.local/bin. I'm not sure if claude is looking at the npm config and noticing that the executable matches what npm would install and deciding that there is a duplicate or not.

Hopefully some additional breadcrumbs will help.

[dave-shawley]

I verified that claude code is looking at the NPM configuration. If the NPM prefix option is set to ~/.local then claude code will always report multiple installations. This can be reproduced by:

1. doing a fresh install of claude using the curl command
2. running npm config set --location user prefix=$HOME/.local
3. running claude doctor

$ npm config set --location user prefix=$HOME/.local/npm-bin
$ claude doctor

 Diagnostics
 └ Currently running: native (2.0.72)
 └ Path: /Users/.../.local/bin/claude
 └ Invoked: /Users/.../.local/share/claude/versions/2.0.72
 └ Config install method: native
 └ Auto-updates: enabled
 └ Search: OK (bundled)

 Press Enter to continue…

$ npm config set --location user prefix=$HOME/.local
$ claude doctor

 Diagnostics
 └ Currently running: native (2.0.72)
 └ Path: /Users/.../.local/bin/claude
 └ Invoked: /Users/.../.local/share/claude/versions/2.0.72
 └ Config install method: native
 └ Auto-updates: enabled
 └ Search: OK (bundled)
 Warning: Multiple installations found
 └ npm-global at /Users/.../.local/bin/claude
 └ native at /Users/.../.local/bin/claude
 Warning: Leftover npm global installation at /Users/.../.local/bin/claude
 Fix: Run: npm -g uninstall @anthropic-ai/claude-code

 Press Enter to continue…

[colinbrophy-genius]

+1 Same issue on Fedora Linux with Claude Code 2.0.76. My npm prefix is set to ~/.local, which matches the native installation path. npm list -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code shows empty - the package isn't there.