Resolving the Issue Where Claude Code on Desktop Cannot Resume Chat Sessions

Claude Desktop integrated Claude Code on November 25, 2025. This was a godsend for someone like me who isn't fond of typing commands. However, since it is still in the Preview version, it remains unstable. For a while, I encountered issues where chat sessions would disconnect and could not be resumed, which led me to explore Gemini instead.

Recently, I felt the need to understand it better. Even though I've grown accustomed to staying in the "Valley of Despair" for so long, seeing the "Slope of Enlightenment" getting further and further away still makes me a bit anxious.

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Symptoms

When the OAuth authentication status expires after a long period of inactivity, entering a command again triggers the following error:

API Error: 401 {"type":"error","error":{"type":"authentication_error","message":"OAuth token has expired. Please obtain a new token or refresh your existing token."},"request_id":"req_011CWWoXen3mpmsjy27LGmqn"} · Please run /login

However, when following the prompt to run the /login command, the following abnormal behavior occurs:

1. Initial input: The command provides no visual feedback.
2. After a delay: The system reports Unknown slash command: login.

This prevents the chat session from continuing.

This issue has been reported by multiple Claude Desktop (Windows/macOS) users in the official community and has been confirmed as a known bug:

• GitHub Issue #13928: Claude Code for Windows unusable due to OAuth loop
• GitHub Issue #15007: /login Does Not Recover Active Session

Temporary Workaround

WARNING

The following is an unofficial temporary workaround that I discovered through trial and error. It is recommended to keep an eye on official updates and wait for a formal fix.

Before the official fix for the authentication reconnection mechanism is released, you can resume operations by following these steps:

1. Manually close the Claude Desktop window (although the installer will close it automatically, it is recommended to close it manually to avoid interference from residual processes).
2. Re-run Claude Setup.exe.

After re-running the installer, the chat session will immediately resume functionality without the need to log in again or create a new session. This method is intended only as a stopgap measure until an official fix is provided.

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Change Log

• 2025-12-27 Initial version created.