What
The /desktop command (which continues the current session in the Claude Code Desktop app) now shows clearer error text when something goes wrong:
- the too-old-version message is now shorter: "Claude Desktop ${version} is too old. Update to ${version} or later."
- the open-failure message now states the specific reason and what to do next: "Couldn't open Claude Desktop (${detail}). Open Claude Desktop and run /desktop again."
Why
Instead of a generic failure, users now get a concrete reason and a clear next step when /desktop can't launch or connect to Claude Desktop.
Names in the bundle/desktop
The entry above is what we published on the day. These lines were added later, as Anthropic's own pages caught up, and they sit beside the original rather than replacing it.
Added since
A small documentation edit on Connect Claude Desktop to Claude for Government touched a line naming /desktop after this was published.
* New and retired models appear in the model picker without any profile change; model access is controlled through [seat tiers](/docs/government/org-admin/seat-tiers). [Models in Claude Desktop](/docs/government/desktop/models) covers a mo…government/deploy-desktop/configure see the edit
Confirmed since
Anthropic's documentation has since written up /desktop, on Discover and install prebuilt plugins through marketplaces.
* **Claude desktop app**: use the [plugin browser](/docs/en/desktop#install-plugins).discover-plugins see the edit
Two sources agreeTwo things we can check say the same as this entry.
Anthropic's documentation agrees
Anthropic's documentation has since written up /desktop, on Discover and install prebuilt plugins through marketplaces.
Anthropic's release notes agree
Improved the /desktop error when Claude Desktop does not open: it now says why and what to do next