catalog / tool-constraints

Claude Desktop's bash caps timeout_ms at 45 seconds

schema-only

Claude Desktop's bash tool caps timeout_ms at 45000 — values above 45 seconds are silently clamped, and long-running commands die mid-execution.

  • Category: tool-constraints
  • Applies to: Claude.ai ❌ | Claude Code ❌ | Claude Desktop ✅
  • Verification tier: schema-only
  • Severity: Hard error

Symptom

A skill that runs long-running shell work on Claude Desktop (npm install, build pipelines, anything slow) is killed mid-run.

Cause

mcp__workspace__bash's schema caps timeout_ms at 45000 (45 seconds). Not documented in user-facing material.

Fix

For long-running tasks, break work into smaller bash calls or trigger it via a different mechanism. Don't assume Desktop's bash has the same patience as Code's Bash (600s) or Claude.ai's bash_tool.

Notes

For the broader cross-platform bash divergence, see ../cross-platform/bash-tool-three-shapes.md. Sibling ceiling on Code: code-bash-600-second-ceiling.md.