What
When Claude Code updates itself through npm or bun, the download includes a separate package with the program built for your platform, called the native binary. If that package is missing, what gets installed is only a placeholder. The updater now catches this.
- After npm or bun reports success, the updater runs the installed
claudewith--version. If it is still the placeholder stub, the update fails with the hintnative_binary_missing. If npm'signore-scriptsis set, or the test cannot tell either way, the success exit code is trusted as before. - Install output saying a native package was not found is now classed as
native_package_missing. The updater then reportsinstall_failedand notes that npm should have restored the previous version. claude updateprints an error that the native binary for this platform was not downloaded and tells you to runclaude updateagain or reinstall with npm.- The auto-update status now shows a specific hint:
native binary for this platform was not downloaded (will retry), orclaude.exe in use (close other Claude Code sessions, including VS Code)when Windows has the program file locked. - The
Update installed ·message now ends with either a component orRestart to update.
Why
Before, an update could look successful while leaving behind a stub that does not run. You now get a failure that says what went wrong and what to do, and Windows users see why an update was blocked.
Something disagreesSomething we can check disagrees with this entry, or the writer said they could not settle it.
The writer flagged doubt
Where this failure category is shown to the person installing is not stated.