Bug: Extension fails when Claude is installed as Windows Package App (AppData\Roaming\Claude path not found)

[chmarco-code]

Bug Description

When Claude Desktop is installed as a Windows Package App (e.g. via Microsoft Store or MSIX package), the extension fails to start with a timeout/disconnection error.

Root Cause

The extension assumes Claude's data directory is always at:

C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Roaming\Claude\

However, when Claude is installed as a Windows Package App, the actual path is:

C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Local\Packages\Claude_pzs8sxrjxfjjc\LocalCache\Roaming\Claude\

The classic AppData\Roaming\Claude path does not exist, so uv cannot find the extension directory, causing it to attempt a fresh package download on every startup — which exceeds the MCP connection timeout.

Symptoms

• MCP server shows "Server disconnected" or "Could not attach to MCP server"
• Log shows repeated Building windows-mcp and Downloading jedi on every connection attempt
• Extension never reaches running state

Workaround

Create a junction point to redirect the old path to the correct one:

New-Item -ItemType Junction -Path "C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Roaming\Claude" -Target "C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Local\Packages\Claude_pzs8sxrjxfjjc\LocalCache\Roaming\Claude"

After creating the junction, run uv sync manually to pre-install dependencies, then restart Claude Desktop.

Suggested Fix

The extension should detect whether Claude is installed as a Package App and resolve the correct data directory dynamically, rather than hardcoding AppData\Roaming\Claude.

Environment

• Windows 11
• Claude Desktop installed as Windows Package App
• uv version: latest
• windows-mcp version: 3.0.1