anthropics / anthropics/claude-code

[BUG] Bundled GrowthBook clientKey still returns 400 "Invalid API Key" on 2.1.266 — Remote Control fails closed (regression/reopen of #64151)

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area:core bug has repro platform:macos
Dominant language
Python
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Description

## Summary

Same bug as #64151 (closed by stale-bot without a fix), still present on **2.1.266** — much later than the versions originally reported (2.1.149 / 2.1.157 / 2.1.158). The bundled GrowthBook clientKey `sdk-zAZezfDKGoZuXXKe` (apiHost `https://cdn.growthbook.io`) is currently rejected by the CDN, so zero feature flags load and Remote Control fails closed with a misleading network-sounding error.

## Environment

- Claude Code **2.1.266**, macOS arm64
- `claude auth status`: `loggedIn: true`, `authMethod: claude.ai`, `apiProvider: firstParty`, `analyticsDisabled: false`, `subscriptionType: max`
- No telemetry/GrowthBook env vars set (`DISABLE_TELEMETRY`, `DISABLE_GROWTHBOOK`, `CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_NONESSENTIAL_TRAFFIC`, `DO_NOT_TRACK` all unset — verified via `env`)

## Repro (machine-independent, no auth required)

```
$ curl https://cdn.growthbook.io/api/features/sdk-zAZezfDKGoZuXXKe
{"status":400,"error":"Invalid API Key"}
```

Reproduced 5/5 consecutive attempts just now (2026-09-09). Confirmed `sdk-zAZezfDKGoZuXXKe` is still the hardcoded clientKey in the 2.1.266 binary via `strings`.

## `claude doctor` output

```
Remote Control
Couldn't verify Remote Control eligibility — the feature-flag service was unreachable (offline or blocked). Retry, or run with --debug / claude doctor for details.
- Remote Control availability could not be verified (no server response this session)
```

Failed consistently across 3 separate `claude doctor` runs, several minutes apart.

## Ruled out before filing

- Corporate proxy/VPN: confirmed both `api.anthropic.com` and `cdn.growthbook.io` return normal, unblocked responses through the network in question (valid TLS, correct HTTP status, expected JSON bodies) — this is a genuine upstream key rejection, not a network block.
- Env vars that are known to disable GrowthBook evaluation: confirmed absent.
- Stale/cached auth: `claude auth status` shows a valid, current claude.ai Max session.

## Impact

Remote Control (and presumably Channels, per #64151) silently unavailable. The error message ("feature-flag service was unreachable (offline or blocked)") reads as a local network problem, which sends users on a long, unproductive troubleshooting path (proxy/VPN checks, cert issues) before finding this is a server-side key problem — as happened here.

## Ask

1. Rotate/restore the GrowthBook clientKey so `cdn.growthbook.io` accepts it, and confirm the fix in this issue rather than letting it go stale again.
2. Since #64151 was auto-closed by inactivity without a fix or maintainer response, consider exempting confirmed-repro issues with a live `has repro` label from the stale-bot, or at minimum leave a closing comment when a real fix ships.

Related: #64151 (same key, same symptom, closed by staleness bot 2026-09-05 without resolution).

Contributor guide

No contributing guide indexed for this repository

Research direction

Reproduce the failure with the documented curl request, then compare the bundled sdk-zAZezfDKGoZuXXKe value in the 2.1.266 binary with the GrowthBook endpoint response. Check the claude doctor Remote Control result after the client key is accepted; done means feature flags load and Remote Control no longer reports the service as unreachable.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Domain
cli
Issue type
Bug
Difficulty
4/5
Estimated time
3-5 days
Activity status
Active
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
30/100

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