Workspace Trust Required for Claude — Fix (2026)

The Error

Workspace is not trusted. Claude Code requires workspace trust to operate.

The Fix

# In VS Code Command Palette (Cmd+Shift+P / Ctrl+Shift+P):
# Run: Workspaces: Manage Workspace Trust
# Click "Trust" for the current folder
# Or add the folder to your trusted list in settings.json:
code ~/.config/Code/User/settings.json

{
  "security.workspace.trust.enabled": true,
  "security.workspace.trust.untrustedFiles": "open"
}

Why This Works

VS Code Workspace Trust restricts extensions from executing code in untrusted folders. Claude Code requires trust because it reads files, runs terminal commands, and modifies code. Without trust, VS Code blocks these operations at the API level. Granting trust enables the full extension capability set.

If That Doesn’t Work

# If the trust banner never appears, reset trust state
rm -rf ~/.config/Code/User/workspaceStorage/*/trust.json
# Reopen VS Code — the trust prompt will appear fresh
# For Remote SSH or Containers, trust must be granted on the remote side:
# Command Palette > Remote: Manage Workspace Trust

On managed machines with group policy, workspace trust settings may be locked by IT. Check if security.workspace.trust.enabled is enforced in the policy settings.

Prevention

Add to your CLAUDE.md:

Always open project folders as trusted workspaces. If cloning new repositories, grant trust on first open to avoid extension initialization failures.

See Also

This fix also applies if you see these related error messages:

  • Error: Claude Code requires Node.js 18 or later
  • SyntaxError: Unexpected token '??' — Node 14 detected
  • MODULE_NOT_FOUND: Cannot find module 'node:fs'
  • Error reading configuration file
  • JSON parse error in config

Frequently Asked Questions

What Node.js version does Claude Code require?

Claude Code requires Node.js 18 or later. Node.js 20 LTS is recommended for the best compatibility and performance. Check your version with node --version.

How do I manage multiple Node.js versions?

Use nvm (Node Version Manager): nvm install 20 && nvm use 20. This lets you switch between Node.js versions per-project without affecting other applications. Add a .nvmrc file with 20 to your project root so nvm automatically selects the right version.

Why does Claude Code fail with the node:fs prefix?

The node: prefix for built-in modules was introduced in Node.js 16. If you see errors about node:fs or node:path, you are running an older Node.js version that does not support this syntax. Upgrade to Node.js 18 or later.

Where does Claude Code store its configuration?

Configuration is stored in ~/.claude/config.json for global settings and .claude/config.json in the project root for project-specific settings. Project settings override global settings for any overlapping keys.

Configure permissions → Build your settings with our Permission Configurator.

Try it: Paste your error into our Error Diagnostic for an instant fix.

Implementation Details

When working with this in Claude Code, pay attention to these practical details:

Project configuration. Add specific instructions to your CLAUDE.md file describing how your project handles this area. Include file paths, naming conventions, and any patterns that differ from common defaults. Claude Code reads CLAUDE.md at the start of every session and uses it to guide all operations.

Testing the setup. After configuration, verify everything works by running a simple test task. Ask Claude Code to perform a read-only operation first (like listing files or reading a config) before moving to write operations. This confirms that permissions, paths, and tools are all correctly configured.

Monitoring and iteration. Track your results over several sessions. If Claude Code consistently makes the same mistake, the fix is usually a more specific CLAUDE.md instruction. If it makes different mistakes each time, the issue is likely in the project setup or toolchain configuration.

Troubleshooting Checklist

When something does not work as expected, check these items in order:

  1. CLAUDE.md exists at the project root — run ls -la CLAUDE.md to verify
  2. Node.js version is 18+ — run node --version to check
  3. API key is set — run echo $ANTHROPIC_API_KEY | head -c 10 to verify (shows first 10 characters only)
  4. Disk space is available — run df -h . to check
  5. Network can reach the API — run curl -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}" https://api.anthropic.com (should return 401 without auth, meaning the server is reachable)
  6. No conflicting processes — run ps aux | grep claude | grep -v grep to check for stale sessions