thedotmack/claude-mem · error · Error

Found desktop app at

Error message

Found desktop app at "${settings.CLAUDE_CODE_PATH}" but it doesn't support headless mode. Install Claude Code CLI: npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code

What it means

The configured CLAUDE_CODE_PATH exists but looksLikeDesktopAppPath matches it (it is the Claude desktop app binary, not the CLI) and the probe was not capable — desktop app builds do not support the headless mode claude-mem spawns require. The message tells you to install the real CLI instead, since the desktop app cannot be made headless-capable.

Solutions

  1. Install the CLI: npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code.
  2. Update CLAUDE_CODE_PATH to the CLI binary (or remove the setting so PATH discovery finds it).
  3. Keep the desktop app if you use it — it just cannot serve as claude-mem's agent runtime.

Example fix

// settings.json before
{ "CLAUDE_CODE_PATH": "/Applications/Claude.app/Contents/MacOS/Claude" }

// after
{ "CLAUDE_CODE_PATH": "~/.npm-global/bin/claude" }
Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

function looksLikeDesktopAppPath(p: string): boolean {
  return /[Cc]laude\.app|Claude\.exe|AppData.{0,40}Claude/i.test(p);
}
if (looksLikeDesktopAppPath(settings.CLAUDE_CODE_PATH ?? '')) {
  throw new Error('CLAUDE_CODE_PATH points at the desktop app — install the CLI instead: npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code');
}

Prevention

When it happens

Trigger: CLAUDE_CODE_PATH pointing into the desktop app's install directory (e.g. an app bundle or AppData path) that ships a claude-like binary; users auto-completing to the wrong binary when configuring settings.json.

Common situations: Claude Desktop installed alongside the CLI and the wrong path captured in settings; OS-level path suggestions offering the app binary; migrating configs between machines where only the desktop app exists.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of thedotmack/claude-mem@e2d1df569a (2026-08-20). Data as JSON: /api/errors/c8a8645ced2e48d4. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at src/shared/find-claude-executable.ts:317

    const probe = probeCandidate(configuredPath);
    if (probe.kind === 'capable') {
      logger.info(logComponent, `Using configured CLAUDE_CODE_PATH: ${configuredPath} (${probe.version})`);
      cachedResolution = {
        path: configuredPath,
        version: probe.version,
        expiresAtMs: Date.now() + RESOLUTION_CACHE_TTL_MS,
      };
      return configuredPath;
    }
    if (probe.kind === 'incompatible') {
      throw new Error(
        `CLAUDE_CODE_PATH is set to "${settings.CLAUDE_CODE_PATH}" (${probe.version}) but that CLI is too old for claude-mem — ` +
        `it rejects flags every memory agent spawn requires (${probe.detail}). ${updateInstructions()}`
      );
    }
    if (looksLikeDesktopAppPath(configuredPath)) {
      throw new Error(
        `Found desktop app at "${settings.CLAUDE_CODE_PATH}" but it doesn't support headless mode. ` +
        `Install Claude Code CLI: npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code`
      );
    }
    throw new Error(
      `CLAUDE_CODE_PATH is set to "${settings.CLAUDE_CODE_PATH}" but it failed the --version check (${probe.detail}). ` +
      `Ensure this is a working Claude Code CLI binary.`
    );
  }

  // --- 2. Probe every discovered candidate ---------------------------------
  const capable: Array<{ path: string; version: string; key: [number, number, number]; order: number }> = [];
  const incompatible: Array<{ path: string; version: string; detail: string }> = [];

  const candidates = discoverCandidates();
  for (let order = 0; order < candidates.length; order++) {
    const candidate = candidates[order];
    const probe = probeCandidate(candidate);

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