Environment

• Claude Desktop app version: 1.2.234
• OS: macOS 15.7.2 (Sequoia), Apple Silicon (arm64)
• Shell: bash
• Homebrew prefix: /opt/homebrew
• poppler version: 26.03.0 (installed via brew install poppler)

Description

The Claude Code Desktop app's Read tool cannot find pdftoppm (poppler) for PDF rendering. The Bash tool also operates with a minimal 4-entry PATH (/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/sbin) that excludes Homebrew, MacPorts, and /usr/local/bin paths.

The VS Code Claude Code extension does pick up the correct PATH from settings.json env. This is a Desktop-app-specific issue.

Steps to Reproduce

1. Install poppler: brew install poppler
2. Verify it works: /opt/homebrew/bin/pdftoppm -v returns pdftoppm version 26.03.0
3. Open Claude Desktop app
4. Ask Claude to read any PDF file using the Read tool
5. Result: pdftoppm is not installed. Install poppler-utils...
6. Ask Claude to run echo "$PATH" | tr ':' '\n' via Bash tool
7. Result: Only /usr/bin, /bin, /usr/sbin, /sbin — no Homebrew, no MacPorts, no /usr/local/bin

Expected Behavior

The Read tool should find pdftoppm when it is installed and available via standard PATH locations (/opt/homebrew/bin, /usr/local/bin), or when PATH is configured via settings.json env, or when PATH is set via launchctl setenv.

Workarounds Attempted — ALL FAILED for Desktop App

1. Homebrew install (default location)

• brew install poppler installs to /opt/homebrew/bin/pdftoppm
• Desktop app PATH does not include /opt/homebrew/bin
• Result: Not found

2. Symlink to /usr/local/bin

sudo ln -s /opt/homebrew/bin/pdftoppm /usr/local/bin/pdftoppm
sudo ln -s /opt/homebrew/bin/pdftotext /usr/local/bin/pdftotext
sudo ln -s /opt/homebrew/bin/pdfinfo /usr/local/bin/pdfinfo

• Symlinks confirmed working via full path
• Desktop app PATH does not include /usr/local/bin
• Result: Not found

3. settings.json env PATH

{
  "env": {
    "PATH": "/opt/local/bin:/opt/local/sbin:/opt/homebrew/bin:/opt/homebrew/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/sbin"
  }
}

• Full quit and restart of Desktop app after edit
• Bash tool still shows minimal 4-entry PATH
• Note: This same setting DOES work for the VS Code extension — VS Code Claude Code sees the full configured PATH
• Result: Not found (Desktop), Works (VS Code)

4. launchctl setenv PATH

launchctl setenv PATH /usr/local/bin:/usr/local/sbin:/opt/local/bin:/opt/local/sbin:/opt/homebrew/bin:/opt/homebrew/sbin:/bin:/usr/bin:/usr/sbin

• Confirmed via launchctl getenv PATH — value is set correctly
• Full quit and restart of Desktop app after setting
• Interesting: OTHER environment variables set via launchctl setenv ARE visible to the Desktop app (confirmed by checking custom env vars via Bash set command). Only PATH appears to be overridden.
• Result: Not found — PATH specifically is being overridden by the Desktop app

5. Shell snapshots

• ~/.claude/shell-snapshots/*.sh contains the full PATH with /opt/homebrew/bin and /usr/local/bin
• Desktop app does not apply this PATH to the tool environment
• Result: Not found

6. Session restarts

• Multiple full quit-and-restart cycles after each workaround
• Ensured no lingering Claude or Chrome hook processes
• Result: Not found after any restart

Key Finding

The Desktop app picks up other environment variables from launchctl setenv (confirmed by checking non-PATH env vars), but PATH specifically is being overridden with a hardcoded minimal value. This suggests the Electron app or its utility process is explicitly constructing/replacing PATH rather than inheriting it from the session environment.

Per issue #22559, the Desktop app extracts PATH via a "utility process" — this process appears to be producing a minimal system PATH and discarding any user-configured PATH values from all sources (launchctl, settings.json, shell profiles, shell snapshots).

Workaround That Does Work

Calling pdftoppm via the Bash tool using the full absolute path (/opt/homebrew/bin/pdftoppm) works. The binary exists and functions correctly — it is only the PATH-based discovery that fails.

Related Issues

• [BUG] Code tab fails with SSL error: desktop app does not forward NODE_EXTRA_CA_CERTS to CLI subprocess #22559 — Desktop app does not forward env vars to CLI subprocess (documents the "utility process" PATH extraction)
• [BUG] NODE_EXTRA_CA_CERTS is not effective when set in ~/.claude/settings.json #22512 — settings.json env vars not applied to CLI subprocess (OPEN)
• [BUG] Read tool's PDF support requires poppler-utils but it's undocumented, usually absent, and not detected after install #23704 — Read tool PDF support requires undocumented poppler-utils
• Read tool cannot find poppler-utils in headless (-p) mode #29886 — Read tool can't find poppler in headless mode
• [FEATURE] Allow users to configure which shell the Bash tool uses or inherit initial shell #7490 — Shell configuration not inherited by Bash tool (91 upvotes)
• Shell snapshot PATH export contains literal $PATH — system directories lost #31799 — Mentions settings.json env PATH as fix (works for CLI/VS Code, not Desktop)