[httpsphl]

Why

A Windows user installed Claude Code with npm, signed in, and could run claude in PowerShell, but Botloft said Claude Code was missing. The daemon found %APPDATA%\npm\claude.cmd, refused it as the npm launcher and stopped searching.

The npm package (seen with 2.1.287) already ships the native binary at node_modules\@anthropic-ai\claude-code\bin\claude.exe; claude.cmd and claude.ps1 only call it. Pointing claude_path at that file fixed it for the user.

What

• A claude.cmd/.ps1 (on PATH or in claude_path) resolves to the native binary next to it. If that file is still the ~500-byte placeholder the npm postinstall replaces (--omit=optional, --ignore-scripts), the launcher is refused as before.
• A launcher that cannot run no longer ends the search: later PATH entries are tried, and the launcher error only shows when nothing else works.
• On Windows, the search also covers %USERPROFILE%\.local\bin (native installer), %LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\WinGet\Links and %APPDATA%\npm, for a PATH set only in a shell profile.
• The lookup moves to runtime/claude/locate.rs so claude.rs stays short.
• Spec 7.4 updated; new row in section 19 with what was seen in the npm package.

Tests

• New unit tests: npm native binary found from the launcher, placeholder refused, search continues past a placeholder launcher to a later claude.exe, Windows usual place found off PATH.
• cargo fmt --check, clippy -D warnings and cargo test --workspace pass locally.

Manual check (real Claude Code)

• On a Windows profile with Claude Code installed only via npm i -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code and an empty claude_path, Botloft finds Claude Code and shows the signed-in account.