Claude Desktop and Claude Code applications for Windows store persistent device identifiers on the local disk. These markers remain active even after a user logs out of their account, allowing the server to recognize the specific machine independently of the user profile.
The primary configuration file is located at %USERPROFILE%\.claude.json. This file contains the userID, machineID, and the firstStartTime timestamp. These identifiers persist across sessions and are not removed by simply deleting the application folder.
A researcher analyzed the app.asar and CLI binary files to understand how these identifiers are generated. To manage this data, a PowerShell script has been published on GitHub under the project name aegis-claude, allowing users to reset local identifiers.
The provided script resets the local identification layer to a state resembling a first-time launch. The developer notes that this process does not affect existing chat history, as the tool only manages local data stored on the user's computer.
