Bug Report: MCP Server fails to reconnect on Windows - mixed path separators

[joemonster]

Bug Description

The claude-mem MCP server fails to reconnect on Windows due to mixed path separators (backslashes and forward slashes) in the resolved command path. Claude Code displays: Failed to reconnect to plugin:claude-mem:claude-mem-search.

The MCP server command path shows:
C:\Users\mariu.claude\plugins\cache\thedotmack\claude-mem\7.2.3/scripts/mcp-server.cjs

Note the mixed path separators - Windows-style backslashes () for the plugin root, but forward slash (/) for the /scripts/mcp-server.cjs part from the .mcp.json template.

Steps to Reproduce

1. Install claude-mem plugin on Windows
2. Start Claude Code
3. Run /mcp command
4. Observe "Failed to reconnect" error for Plugin:claude-mem:claude-mem-search
5. Click "Reconnect" - fails repeatedly

Expected Behavior

The MCP server should connect successfully. Path should be normalized to use consistent separators.

Root Cause Analysis

In .mcp.json:
{
"mcpServers": {
"claude-mem-search": {
"type": "stdio",
"command": "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/mcp-server.cjs"
}
}
}

When Claude Code resolves ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT} on Windows, it produces a Windows path with backslashes, but the /scripts/mcp-server.cjs suffix keeps its forward slash, resulting in a mixed-separator path.

Interesting finding: Running the script manually with either path style works:

Both of these work when run manually:

node "C:\Users\mariu.claude\plugins\cache\thedotmack\claude-mem\7.2.3/scripts/mcp-server.cjs"
node "C:\Users\mariu.claude\plugins\cache\thedotmack\claude-mem\7.2.3\scripts\mcp-server.cjs"

The worker itself starts successfully (logs show it's running on port 37777), but Claude Code's MCP client cannot connect, possibly due to path comparison/validation issues.

Environment

• Claude-mem version: 7.2.3
• Claude Code version: 2.0.69
• OS: Windows 10/11 (MSYS_NT-10.0-26200)
• Platform: win32
• Node.js: 18+

Worker Logs (working normally)

[2025-12-15 11:31:25.637] [INFO ] [SYSTEM] Worker started {host=127.0.0.1, port=37777, pid=60364}
[2025-12-15 11:31:26.247] [INFO ] [HTTP ] → GET /api/version {requestId=GET-1765794686246}
[2025-12-15 11:31:26.250] [INFO ] [HTTP ] ← 200 /api/version {requestId=GET-1765794686246, duration=4ms}
[2025-12-15 11:31:27.244] [INFO ] [DB ] Database initialized
[2025-12-15 11:31:28.157] [INFO ] [WORKER] ✓ Connected to MCP server
[2025-12-15 11:31:28.157] [INFO ] [SYSTEM] Background initialization complete

Suggested Fix

Normalize path separators in the MCP command resolution. Options:

1. In claude-mem (plugin side): Use path.join() or normalize the path in mcp-server.cjs bootstrap
2. In Claude Code (client side): Normalize paths when resolving ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT} template variables on Windows

Workaround Attempts

• Reconnecting via /mcp menu - does not work
• Restarting Claude Code - temporarily works, then fails again

Additional Context

This is a Windows-specific issue. The same plugin likely works correctly on macOS/Linux where forward slashes are the standard path separator.

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Labels: bug, windows, mcp, path-handling

[github-actions]

This GitHub issue reports a bug with the MCP (Memory Context Plugin) server for the "claude-mem" plugin failing to reconnect on Windows due to mixed path separators (backslashes for Windows paths and forward slashes from the .mcp.json template). The problem arises when the ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT} variable resolves to a Windows-style path, but the suffix /scripts/mcp-server.cjs retains Unix-style slashes, resulting in inconsistent paths. While manually running the resolved command with either path style works, the MCP client fails to connect due to likely path comparison or validation issues. The bug affects Windows users and causes repeated connection failures despite attempts to reconnect or restart. The suggested fix involves normalizing path separators during command resolution, either on the server or client side. The issue does not occur on macOS/Linux, where forward slashes are standard.