Run on startup setting not saved

[Lakis01]

v1.1.6+claude0.14.10 installed on Ubuntu 24.04 through .deb file.

When I check run on startup, there is no option to apply settings or ok, but when I switch to another window like extensions, it is unchecked again. Is this due to lacking root privilege?

[aaddrick]

Hey @Lakis01!

When I checkout the log at ~/claude-desktop-launcher.log I see

Error occurred in handler for '$eipc_message$_77d4e567-c444-4f71-92e9-9f2fbad120fd_$_claude.settings_$_Startup_$_isStartupOnLoginEnabled': Error: Result from method "isStartupOnLoginEnabled" in interface "Startup" failed to pass validation
    at /usr/lib/claude-desktop/app.asar/.vite/build/index.js:42:9658
    at process.processTicksAndRejections (node:internal/process/task_queues:105:5)
    at async Session.<anonymous> (node:electron/js2c/browser_init:2:107270)

Checking out the handler in index.js

t.ipc.handle(
    "$eipc_message$_77d4e567-c444-4f71-92e9-9f2fbad120fd_$_claude.settings_$_Startup_$_isStartupOnLoginEnabled",
    async (n) => {
      var a;
      if (!ot(n))
        throw new Error(
          `Incoming "isStartupOnLoginEnabled" call on interface "Startup" from '${(a = n.senderFrame) == null ? void 0 : a.url}' did not pass origin validation`
        );
      const i = await e.isStartupOnLoginEnabled();
      if (typeof i != "boolean")
        throw new Error(
          'Result from method "isStartupOnLoginEnabled" in interface "Startup" failed to pass validation'
        );
      return i;
    }
  ),

The error Result from method "isStartupOnLoginEnabled" in interface "Startup" failed to pass validation is popping up because e.isStartupOnLoginEnabled() isn't returning a boolean.

I've renamed some variables below from the minified originals.

isStartupOnLoginEnabled() {
  if (process.env.CLAUDE_AVOID_READING_LOGING_ITEM_SETTINGS) return !1;
  logger.debug("Checking login setting");
  const loginSettings = electron.app.getLoginItemSettings({ path: returnExecPath() });
  return (
    logger.debug("Login setting: %o", loginSettings),
    loginSettings.openAtLogin || loginSettings.executableWillLaunchAtLogin
  );
},

The original error is crashing out in the handler section, which means isStartupOnLoginEnabled() isn't faulting hard.

Running through devtools debug, loginSettings.openAtLogin evaluates to false and loginSettings.executableWillLaunchAtLogin evaluates to undefined.

executableWillLaunchAtLogin is a windows only electron environmental variable. Since we're using the windows executable as our base, this doesn't exist for us.

Apparently in javascript, false || undefined returns undefined. Alternatively, undefined || false returns false. Who knew? Stack Overflow Link

So that logic back in the handler is getting undefined returned to it when it expects a bool because we're trying to evaluate a windows electron environmental variable.

Updated the app.asar.contents/frame-fix-wrapper.js script created in ./build.sh to monkey patch in a false return for executableWillLaunchAtLogin.

// Fix app.getLoginItemSettings to always return executableWillLaunchAtLogin as boolean
if (module.app && module.app.getLoginItemSettings) {
  console.log('[Frame Fix] Patching app.getLoginItemSettings');
  const originalGetLoginItemSettings = module.app.getLoginItemSettings;
  module.app.getLoginItemSettings = function(...args) {
    const result = originalGetLoginItemSettings.apply(this, args);
    if (result.executableWillLaunchAtLogin === undefined) {
      result.executableWillLaunchAtLogin = false;
    }
    console.log('[Frame Fix] getLoginItemSettings result:', result);
    return result;
  };
}

After rebuilding and debugging again, isStartupOnLoginEnabled() returned false correctly. The original error went away, but it didn't actually solve the core issue :(

After that let down, I googled "electron openAtLogin Linux" (which is where I should've started...) and found "Add openAtLogin support for Linux? #15198" with a final update that didn't include support from 2024.

All that said, you'll have to configure autostart via your system. I'm not commiting the monkey patch, but it's here in case I ever need it in the future.

I'll leave this open in case anyone else has feedback.

Sorry we couldn't bottom it out!

[Lakis01]

Thank you very much for your efforts! Yes, I configured autostart via the system in the mean time.

If it is possible to solve, I second the issue with mcp servers enabling the extensions pointing to the wrong location for node.js. Manually configuring the mcp servers with the help of claude worked via npx.

Also, in the default repositories for the current Ubuntu LTS (24.04), an outdated version of node.js is included (v18)

You might want to include the suggestion of adding the ppa for node.js (v22.x)
cd ~
curl -sL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_22.x -o nodesource_setup.sh

Thank you again very much for your efforts and the active development :)

[aaddrick]

No problem at all!

Thanks for the callout on the other items. I'm working through a refactor to break the script into smaller and understandable blocks. I have the node version corrected there. Hoping to have it up this weekend.

[Lakis01]

Another very minor issue that did not want to create another issue for: The program keeps wobbling in the programs bar on the left in the gnome desktop on Ubuntu. This usually indicates that a program has just been launched an not brought to the foreground yet, but even when I switch to claude (the wobbling will stop while its in the foreground) and then switch to another program, it just keeps wobbling. Not an important issue, obviously, but wanted to let you know.