chore: bump version to 7.1.6

Improved error messages with platform-specific worker restart instructions

🤖 Generated with [Claude Code](https://claude.com/claude-code)

Co-Authored-By: Claude Sonnet 4.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

.claude-plugin/marketplace.json

@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
   "plugins": [
     {
       "name": "claude-mem",
-      "version": "7.1.2",
+      "version": "7.1.6",
       "source": "./plugin",
       "description": "Persistent memory system for Claude Code - context compression across sessions"
     }

.github/FUNDING.yml

@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+github: [thedotmack]

.github/workflows/summary.yml

@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+name: Summarize new issues
+
+on:
+  issues:
+    types: [opened]
+
+jobs:
+  summary:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    permissions:
+      issues: write
+      models: read
+      contents: read
+
+    steps:
+      - name: Checkout repository
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+      - name: Run AI inference
+        id: inference
+        uses: actions/ai-inference@v1
+        with:
+          prompt: |
+            Summarize the following GitHub issue in one paragraph:
+            Title: ${{ github.event.issue.title }}
+            Body: ${{ github.event.issue.body }}
+
+      - name: Comment with AI summary
+        run: |
+          gh issue comment $ISSUE_NUMBER --body '${{ steps.inference.outputs.response }}'
+        env:
+          GH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+          ISSUE_NUMBER: ${{ github.event.issue.number }}
+          RESPONSE: ${{ steps.inference.outputs.response }}

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -4,6 +4,60 @@ All notable changes to this project will be documented in this file.
 
 The format is based on [Keep a Changelog](https://keepachangelog.com/en/1.0.0/).
 
+## [7.1.5] - 2025-12-13
+
+## What's Changed
+
+* fix: Use getWorkerHost() instead of hardcoded localhost in MCP server (#276)
+
+### Bug Fix
+Fixes Windows IPv6 issue where `localhost` resolves to `::1` (IPv6) but worker binds to `127.0.0.1` (IPv4), causing MCP tool connections to fail.
+
+**Full Changelog**: https://github.com/thedotmack/claude-mem/compare/v7.1.4...v7.1.5
+
+## [7.1.4] - 2025-12-13
+
+## What's Changed
+
+* fix: add npm fallback when bun install fails with alias packages (#265)
+
+**Full Changelog**: https://github.com/thedotmack/claude-mem/compare/v7.1.3...v7.1.4
+
+## [7.1.3] - 2025-12-13
+
+## Bug Fixes
+
+### Smart Install Script Refactoring
+
+Refactored the smart-install.js script to improve code quality and maintainability:
+- Extracted common installation paths as top-level constants (BUN_COMMON_PATHS, UV_COMMON_PATHS)
+- Simplified installation check functions to delegate to dedicated path-finding helpers
+- Streamlined installation verification logic with clearer error messages
+- Removed redundant post-installation verification checks
+- Improved error propagation by removing unnecessary retry logic
+
+This refactoring reduces code duplication and makes the installation process more maintainable while preserving the same functionality for detecting Bun and uv binaries across platforms.
+
+## [7.1.2] - 2025-12-13
+
+## 🐛 Bug Fixes
+
+### Windows Installation
+- Fixed Bun PATH detection on Windows after fresh install
+- Added fallback to check common install paths before PATH reload  
+- Improved smart-install.js to use full Bun path when not in PATH
+- Added proper path quoting for Windows usernames with spaces
+
+### Worker Startup
+- Fixed worker connection failures in Stop hook
+- Added health check retry loop (5 attempts, 500ms intervals)
+- Worker now waits up to 2.5s for responsiveness before returning
+- Improved error detection for Bun's ConnectionRefused error format
+
+---
+
+**Full Changelog**: https://github.com/thedotmack/claude-mem/compare/v7.1.1...v7.1.2
+
 ## [7.1.1] - 2025-12-13
 
 ## 🚨 Critical Fixes

CLAUDE.md

@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
 
 Claude-mem is a Claude Code plugin providing persistent memory across sessions. It captures tool usage, compresses observations using the Claude Agent SDK, and injects relevant context into future sessions.
 
-**Current Version**: 7.1.2
+**Current Version**: 7.1.6
 
 ## Architecture
 

package.json

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "claude-mem",
-  "version": "7.1.2",
+  "version": "7.1.6",
   "description": "Memory compression system for Claude Code - persist context across sessions",
   "keywords": [
     "claude",

plugin/.claude-plugin/plugin.json

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "claude-mem",
-  "version": "7.1.2",
+  "version": "7.1.6",
   "description": "Persistent memory system for Claude Code - seamlessly preserve context across sessions",
   "author": {
     "name": "Alex Newman"

plugin/package.json

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "claude-mem-plugin",
-  "version": "7.1.1",
+  "version": "7.1.6",
   "private": true,
   "description": "Runtime dependencies for claude-mem bundled hooks",
   "type": "module",

plugin/scripts/smart-install.js

@@ -24,18 +24,56 @@ function isBunInstalled() {
       stdio: ['pipe', 'pipe', 'pipe'],
       shell: IS_WINDOWS
     });
-    return result.status === 0;
+    if (result.status === 0) return true;
   } catch {
-    return false;
+    // PATH check failed, try common installation paths
   }
+
+  // Check common installation paths (handles fresh installs before PATH reload)
+  const bunPaths = IS_WINDOWS
+    ? [join(homedir(), '.bun', 'bin', 'bun.exe')]
+    : [join(homedir(), '.bun', 'bin', 'bun'), '/usr/local/bin/bun'];
+
+  return bunPaths.some(existsSync);
+}
+
+/**
+ * Get the Bun executable path (from PATH or common install locations)
+ */
+function getBunPath() {
+  // Try PATH first
+  try {
+    const result = spawnSync('bun', ['--version'], {
+      encoding: 'utf-8',
+      stdio: ['pipe', 'pipe', 'pipe'],
+      shell: IS_WINDOWS
+    });
+    if (result.status === 0) return 'bun';
+  } catch {
+    // Not in PATH
+  }
+
+  // Check common installation paths
+  const bunPaths = IS_WINDOWS
+    ? [join(homedir(), '.bun', 'bin', 'bun.exe')]
+    : [join(homedir(), '.bun', 'bin', 'bun'), '/usr/local/bin/bun'];
+
+  for (const bunPath of bunPaths) {
+    if (existsSync(bunPath)) return bunPath;
+  }
+
+  return null;
 }
 
 /**
  * Get Bun version if installed
  */
 function getBunVersion() {
+  const bunPath = getBunPath();
+  if (!bunPath) return null;
+
   try {
-    const result = spawnSync('bun', ['--version'], {
+    const result = spawnSync(bunPath, ['--version'], {
       encoding: 'utf-8',
       stdio: ['pipe', 'pipe', 'pipe'],
       shell: IS_WINDOWS
@@ -56,10 +94,17 @@ function isUvInstalled() {
       stdio: ['pipe', 'pipe', 'pipe'],
       shell: IS_WINDOWS
     });
-    return result.status === 0;
+    if (result.status === 0) return true;
   } catch {
-    return false;
+    // PATH check failed, try common installation paths
   }
+
+  // Check common installation paths (handles fresh installs before PATH reload)
+  const uvPaths = IS_WINDOWS
+    ? [join(homedir(), '.local', 'bin', 'uv.exe'), join(homedir(), '.cargo', 'bin', 'uv.exe')]
+    : [join(homedir(), '.local', 'bin', 'uv'), join(homedir(), '.cargo', 'bin', 'uv'), '/usr/local/bin/uv'];
+
+  return uvPaths.some(existsSync);
 }
 
 /**
@@ -223,15 +268,46 @@ function needsInstall() {
 }
 
 /**
- * Install dependencies using Bun
+ * Install dependencies using Bun with npm fallback
+ *
+ * Bun has issues with npm alias packages (e.g., string-width-cjs, strip-ansi-cjs)
+ * that are defined in package-lock.json. When bun fails with 404 errors for these
+ * packages, we fall back to npm which handles aliases correctly.
  */
 function installDeps() {
+  const bunPath = getBunPath();
+  if (!bunPath) {
+    throw new Error('Bun executable not found');
+  }
+
   console.error('📦 Installing dependencies with Bun...');
+
+  // Quote path for Windows paths with spaces
+  const bunCmd = IS_WINDOWS && bunPath.includes(' ') ? `"${bunPath}"` : bunPath;
+
+  let bunSucceeded = false;
   try {
-    execSync('bun install', { cwd: ROOT, stdio: 'inherit', shell: IS_WINDOWS });
+    execSync(`${bunCmd} install`, { cwd: ROOT, stdio: 'inherit', shell: IS_WINDOWS });
+    bunSucceeded = true;
   } catch {
-    // Retry with force flag
-    execSync('bun install --force', { cwd: ROOT, stdio: 'inherit', shell: IS_WINDOWS });
+    // First attempt failed, try with force flag
+    try {
+      execSync(`${bunCmd} install --force`, { cwd: ROOT, stdio: 'inherit', shell: IS_WINDOWS });
+      bunSucceeded = true;
+    } catch {
+      // Bun failed completely, will try npm fallback
+    }
+  }
+
+  // Fallback to npm if bun failed (handles npm alias packages correctly)
+  if (!bunSucceeded) {
+    console.error('⚠️  Bun install failed, falling back to npm...');
+    console.error('   (This can happen with npm alias packages like *-cjs)');
+    try {
+      execSync('npm install', { cwd: ROOT, stdio: 'inherit', shell: IS_WINDOWS });
+    } catch (npmError) {
+      throw new Error('Both bun and npm install failed: ' + npmError.message);
+    }
   }
 
   // Write version marker

scripts/smart-install.js

@@ -14,28 +14,14 @@ const ROOT = join(homedir(), '.claude', 'plugins', 'marketplaces', 'thedotmack')
 const MARKER = join(ROOT, '.install-version');
 const IS_WINDOWS = process.platform === 'win32';
 
-/**
- * Check if Bun is installed and accessible
- */
-function isBunInstalled() {
-  try {
-    const result = spawnSync('bun', ['--version'], {
-      encoding: 'utf-8',
-      stdio: ['pipe', 'pipe', 'pipe'],
-      shell: IS_WINDOWS
-    });
-    if (result.status === 0) return true;
-  } catch {
-    // PATH check failed, try common installation paths
-  }
+// Common installation paths (handles fresh installs before PATH reload)
+const BUN_COMMON_PATHS = IS_WINDOWS
+  ? [join(homedir(), '.bun', 'bin', 'bun.exe')]
+  : [join(homedir(), '.bun', 'bin', 'bun'), '/usr/local/bin/bun'];
 
-  // Check common installation paths (handles fresh installs before PATH reload)
-  const bunPaths = IS_WINDOWS
-    ? [join(homedir(), '.bun', 'bin', 'bun.exe')]
-    : [join(homedir(), '.bun', 'bin', 'bun'), '/usr/local/bin/bun'];
-
-  return bunPaths.some(existsSync);
-}
+const UV_COMMON_PATHS = IS_WINDOWS
+  ? [join(homedir(), '.local', 'bin', 'uv.exe'), join(homedir(), '.cargo', 'bin', 'uv.exe')]
+  : [join(homedir(), '.local', 'bin', 'uv'), join(homedir(), '.cargo', 'bin', 'uv'), '/usr/local/bin/uv'];
 
 /**
  * Get the Bun executable path (from PATH or common install locations)
@@ -54,15 +40,14 @@ function getBunPath() {
   }
 
   // Check common installation paths
-  const bunPaths = IS_WINDOWS
-    ? [join(homedir(), '.bun', 'bin', 'bun.exe')]
-    : [join(homedir(), '.bun', 'bin', 'bun'), '/usr/local/bin/bun'];
+  return BUN_COMMON_PATHS.find(existsSync) || null;
+}
 
-  for (const bunPath of bunPaths) {
-    if (existsSync(bunPath)) return bunPath;
-  }
-
-  return null;
+/**
+ * Check if Bun is installed and accessible
+ */
+function isBunInstalled() {
+  return getBunPath() !== null;
 }
 
 /**
@@ -85,34 +70,41 @@ function getBunVersion() {
 }
 
 /**
- * Check if uv is installed and accessible
+ * Get the uv executable path (from PATH or common install locations)
  */
-function isUvInstalled() {
+function getUvPath() {
+  // Try PATH first
   try {
     const result = spawnSync('uv', ['--version'], {
       encoding: 'utf-8',
       stdio: ['pipe', 'pipe', 'pipe'],
       shell: IS_WINDOWS
     });
-    if (result.status === 0) return true;
+    if (result.status === 0) return 'uv';
   } catch {
-    // PATH check failed, try common installation paths
+    // Not in PATH
   }
 
-  // Check common installation paths (handles fresh installs before PATH reload)
-  const uvPaths = IS_WINDOWS
-    ? [join(homedir(), '.local', 'bin', 'uv.exe'), join(homedir(), '.cargo', 'bin', 'uv.exe')]
-    : [join(homedir(), '.local', 'bin', 'uv'), join(homedir(), '.cargo', 'bin', 'uv'), '/usr/local/bin/uv'];
+  // Check common installation paths
+  return UV_COMMON_PATHS.find(existsSync) || null;
+}
 
-  return uvPaths.some(existsSync);
+/**
+ * Check if uv is installed and accessible
+ */
+function isUvInstalled() {
+  return getUvPath() !== null;
 }
 
 /**
  * Get uv version if installed
  */
 function getUvVersion() {
+  const uvPath = getUvPath();
+  if (!uvPath) return null;
+
   try {
-    const result = spawnSync('uv', ['--version'], {
+    const result = spawnSync(uvPath, ['--version'], {
       encoding: 'utf-8',
       stdio: ['pipe', 'pipe', 'pipe'],
       shell: IS_WINDOWS
@@ -131,14 +123,12 @@ function installBun() {
 
   try {
     if (IS_WINDOWS) {
-      // Windows: Use PowerShell installer
       console.error('   Installing via PowerShell...');
       execSync('powershell -c "irm bun.sh/install.ps1 | iex"', {
         stdio: 'inherit',
         shell: true
       });
     } else {
-      // Unix/macOS: Use curl installer
       console.error('   Installing via curl...');
       execSync('curl -fsSL https://bun.sh/install | bash', {
         stdio: 'inherit',
@@ -146,35 +136,17 @@ function installBun() {
       });
     }
 
-    // Verify installation
-    if (isBunInstalled()) {
-      const version = getBunVersion();
-      console.error(`✅ Bun ${version} installed successfully`);
-      return true;
-    } else {
-      // Bun may be installed but not in PATH yet for this session
-      // Try common installation paths
-      const bunPaths = IS_WINDOWS
-        ? [join(homedir(), '.bun', 'bin', 'bun.exe')]
-        : [join(homedir(), '.bun', 'bin', 'bun'), '/usr/local/bin/bun'];
-
-      for (const bunPath of bunPaths) {
-        if (existsSync(bunPath)) {
-          console.error(`✅ Bun installed at ${bunPath}`);
-          console.error('⚠️  Please restart your terminal or add Bun to PATH:');
-          if (IS_WINDOWS) {
-            console.error(`   $env:Path += ";${join(homedir(), '.bun', 'bin')}"`);
-          } else {
-            console.error(`   export PATH="$HOME/.bun/bin:$PATH"`);
-          }
-          return true;
-        }
-      }
-
-      throw new Error('Bun installation completed but binary not found');
+    if (!isBunInstalled()) {
+      throw new Error(
+        'Bun installation completed but binary not found. ' +
+        'Please restart your terminal and try again.'
+      );
     }
+
+    const version = getBunVersion();
+    console.error(`✅ Bun ${version} installed successfully`);
   } catch (error) {
-    console.error('❌ Failed to install Bun automatically');
+    console.error('❌ Failed to install Bun');
     console.error('   Please install manually:');
     if (IS_WINDOWS) {
       console.error('   - winget install Oven-sh.Bun');
@@ -196,14 +168,12 @@ function installUv() {
 
   try {
     if (IS_WINDOWS) {
-      // Windows: Use PowerShell installer
       console.error('   Installing via PowerShell...');
       execSync('powershell -ExecutionPolicy ByPass -c "irm https://astral.sh/uv/install.ps1 | iex"', {
         stdio: 'inherit',
         shell: true
       });
     } else {
-      // Unix/macOS: Use curl installer
       console.error('   Installing via curl...');
       execSync('curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh', {
         stdio: 'inherit',
@@ -211,35 +181,17 @@ function installUv() {
       });
     }
 
-    // Verify installation
-    if (isUvInstalled()) {
-      const version = getUvVersion();
-      console.error(`✅ uv ${version} installed successfully`);
-      return true;
-    } else {
-      // uv may be installed but not in PATH yet for this session
-      // Try common installation paths
-      const uvPaths = IS_WINDOWS
-        ? [join(homedir(), '.local', 'bin', 'uv.exe'), join(homedir(), '.cargo', 'bin', 'uv.exe')]
-        : [join(homedir(), '.local', 'bin', 'uv'), join(homedir(), '.cargo', 'bin', 'uv'), '/usr/local/bin/uv'];
-
-      for (const uvPath of uvPaths) {
-        if (existsSync(uvPath)) {
-          console.error(`✅ uv installed at ${uvPath}`);
-          console.error('⚠️  Please restart your terminal or add uv to PATH:');
-          if (IS_WINDOWS) {
-            console.error(`   $env:Path += ";${join(homedir(), '.local', 'bin')}"`);
-          } else {
-            console.error(`   export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"`);
-          }
-          return true;
-        }
-      }
-
-      throw new Error('uv installation completed but binary not found');
+    if (!isUvInstalled()) {
+      throw new Error(
+        'uv installation completed but binary not found. ' +
+        'Please restart your terminal and try again.'
+      );
     }
+
+    const version = getUvVersion();
+    console.error(`✅ uv ${version} installed successfully`);
   } catch (error) {
-    console.error('❌ Failed to install uv automatically');
+    console.error('❌ Failed to install uv');
     console.error('   Please install manually:');
     if (IS_WINDOWS) {
       console.error('   - winget install astral-sh.uv');
@@ -281,12 +233,7 @@ function installDeps() {
   // Quote path for Windows paths with spaces
   const bunCmd = IS_WINDOWS && bunPath.includes(' ') ? `"${bunPath}"` : bunPath;
 
-  try {
-    execSync(`${bunCmd} install`, { cwd: ROOT, stdio: 'inherit', shell: IS_WINDOWS });
-  } catch {
-    // Retry with force flag
-    execSync(`${bunCmd} install --force`, { cwd: ROOT, stdio: 'inherit', shell: IS_WINDOWS });
-  }
+  execSync(`${bunCmd} install`, { cwd: ROOT, stdio: 'inherit', shell: IS_WINDOWS });
 
   // Write version marker
   const pkg = JSON.parse(readFileSync(join(ROOT, 'package.json'), 'utf-8'));
@@ -300,31 +247,8 @@ function installDeps() {
 
 // Main execution
 try {
-  // Step 1: Ensure Bun is installed (REQUIRED)
-  if (!isBunInstalled()) {
-    installBun();
-
-    // Re-check after installation
-    if (!isBunInstalled()) {
-      console.error('❌ Bun is required but not available in PATH');
-      console.error('   Please restart your terminal after installation');
-      process.exit(1);
-    }
-  }
-
-  // Step 2: Ensure uv is installed (REQUIRED for vector search)
-  if (!isUvInstalled()) {
-    installUv();
-
-    // Re-check after installation
-    if (!isUvInstalled()) {
-      console.error('❌ uv is required but not available in PATH');
-      console.error('   Please restart your terminal after installation');
-      process.exit(1);
-    }
-  }
-
-  // Step 3: Install dependencies if needed
+  if (!isBunInstalled()) installBun();
+  if (!isUvInstalled()) installUv();
   if (needsInstall()) {
     installDeps();
     console.error('✅ Dependencies installed');

src/hooks/context-hook.ts

@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ import { stdin } from "process";
 import { ensureWorkerRunning, getWorkerPort } from "../shared/worker-utils.js";
 import { HOOK_TIMEOUTS } from "../shared/hook-constants.js";
 import { handleWorkerError } from "../shared/hook-error-handler.js";
+import { getWorkerRestartInstructions } from "../utils/error-messages.js";
 
 export interface SessionStartInput {
   session_id: string;
@@ -34,7 +35,7 @@ async function contextHook(input?: SessionStartInput): Promise<string> {
 
     if (!response.ok) {
       const errorText = await response.text();
-      throw new Error(`Failed to fetch context: ${response.status} ${errorText}`);
+      throw new Error(getWorkerRestartInstructions({ includeSkillFallback: true }));
     }
 
     const result = await response.text();

src/hooks/new-hook.ts

@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import { createHookResponse } from './hook-response.js';
 import { ensureWorkerRunning, getWorkerPort } from '../shared/worker-utils.js';
 import { happy_path_error__with_fallback } from '../utils/silent-debug.js';
 import { handleWorkerError } from '../shared/hook-error-handler.js';
+import { getWorkerRestartInstructions } from '../utils/error-messages.js';
 
 export interface UserPromptSubmitInput {
   session_id: string;
@@ -52,7 +53,7 @@ async function newHook(input?: UserPromptSubmitInput): Promise<void> {
 
     if (!initResponse.ok) {
       const errorText = await initResponse.text();
-      throw new Error(`Failed to initialize session: ${initResponse.status} ${errorText}`);
+      throw new Error(getWorkerRestartInstructions({ includeSkillFallback: true }));
     }
 
     const initResult = await initResponse.json();
@@ -86,7 +87,7 @@ async function newHook(input?: UserPromptSubmitInput): Promise<void> {
 
     if (!response.ok) {
       const errorText = await response.text();
-      throw new Error(`Failed to start SDK agent: ${response.status} ${errorText}`);
+      throw new Error(getWorkerRestartInstructions({ includeSkillFallback: true }));
     }
   } catch (error: any) {
     handleWorkerError(error);

src/hooks/save-hook.ts

@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ import { ensureWorkerRunning, getWorkerPort } from '../shared/worker-utils.js';
 import { HOOK_TIMEOUTS } from '../shared/hook-constants.js';
 import { happy_path_error__with_fallback } from '../utils/silent-debug.js';
 import { handleWorkerError } from '../shared/hook-error-handler.js';
+import { getWorkerRestartInstructions } from '../utils/error-messages.js';
 
 export interface PostToolUseInput {
   session_id: string;
@@ -67,7 +68,7 @@ async function saveHook(input?: PostToolUseInput): Promise<void> {
       logger.failure('HOOK', 'Failed to send observation', {
         status: response.status
       }, errorText);
-      throw new Error(`Failed to send observation to worker: ${response.status} ${errorText}`);
+      throw new Error(getWorkerRestartInstructions({ includeSkillFallback: true }));
     }
 
     logger.debug('HOOK', 'Observation sent successfully', { toolName: tool_name });

src/hooks/summary-hook.ts

@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ import { HOOK_TIMEOUTS } from '../shared/hook-constants.js';
 import { happy_path_error__with_fallback } from '../utils/silent-debug.js';
 import { handleWorkerError } from '../shared/hook-error-handler.js';
 import { extractLastMessage } from '../shared/transcript-parser.js';
+import { getWorkerRestartInstructions } from '../utils/error-messages.js';
 
 export interface StopInput {
   session_id: string;
@@ -72,7 +73,7 @@ async function summaryHook(input?: StopInput): Promise<void> {
       logger.failure('HOOK', 'Failed to generate summary', {
         status: response.status
       }, errorText);
-      throw new Error(`Failed to request summary from worker: ${response.status} ${errorText}`);
+      throw new Error(getWorkerRestartInstructions({ includeSkillFallback: true }));
     }
 
     logger.debug('HOOK', 'Summary request sent successfully');

src/hooks/user-message-hook.ts

@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
 import { basename } from "path";
 import { ensureWorkerRunning, getWorkerPort } from "../shared/worker-utils.js";
 import { HOOK_EXIT_CODES } from "../shared/hook-constants.js";
+import { getWorkerRestartInstructions } from "../utils/error-messages.js";
 
 try {
   // Ensure worker is running
@@ -24,7 +25,7 @@ try {
   );
 
   if (!response.ok) {
-    throw new Error(`Worker error ${response.status}`);
+    throw new Error(getWorkerRestartInstructions({ includeSkillFallback: true }));
   }
 
   const output = await response.text();

src/servers/mcp-server.ts

@@ -15,13 +15,14 @@ import {
 import { z } from 'zod';
 import { zodToJsonSchema } from 'zod-to-json-schema';
 import { happy_path_error__with_fallback } from '../utils/silent-debug.js';
-import { getWorkerPort } from '../shared/worker-utils.js';
+import { getWorkerPort, getWorkerHost } from '../shared/worker-utils.js';
 
 /**
  * Worker HTTP API configuration
  */
 const WORKER_PORT = getWorkerPort();
-const WORKER_BASE_URL = `http://localhost:${WORKER_PORT}`;
+const WORKER_HOST = getWorkerHost();
+const WORKER_BASE_URL = `http://${WORKER_HOST}:${WORKER_PORT}`;
 
 /**
  * Map tool names to Worker HTTP endpoints

src/shared/hook-error-handler.ts

@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+import { getWorkerRestartInstructions } from '../utils/error-messages.js';
+
 /**
  * Handles fetch errors by providing user-friendly messages for connection issues
  * @throws Error with helpful message if worker is unreachable, re-throws original otherwise
@@ -8,9 +10,7 @@ export function handleWorkerError(error: any): never {
       error.name === 'TimeoutError' ||
       error.message?.includes('fetch failed') ||
       error.message?.includes('Unable to connect')) {
-    throw new Error(
-      "There's a problem with the worker. Try: npm run worker:restart"
-    );
+    throw new Error(getWorkerRestartInstructions());
   }
   throw error;
 }

src/shared/worker-utils.ts

@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import { logger } from "../utils/logger.js";
 import { HOOK_TIMEOUTS, getTimeout } from "./hook-constants.js";
 import { ProcessManager } from "../services/process/ProcessManager.js";
 import { SettingsDefaultsManager } from "./SettingsDefaultsManager.js";
+import { getWorkerRestartInstructions } from "../utils/error-messages.js";
 
 const MARKETPLACE_ROOT = path.join(homedir(), '.claude', 'plugins', 'marketplaces', 'thedotmack');
 
@@ -197,9 +198,10 @@ export async function ensureWorkerRunning(): Promise<void> {
   if (!started) {
     const port = getWorkerPort();
     throw new Error(
-      `Worker service failed to start on port ${port}.\n\n` +
-      `To start manually, run: npm run worker:start\n` +
-      `If already running, try: npm run worker:restart`
+      getWorkerRestartInstructions({
+        port,
+        customPrefix: `Worker service failed to start on port ${port}.`
+      })
     );
   }
 
@@ -217,7 +219,9 @@ export async function ensureWorkerRunning(): Promise<void> {
   const port = getWorkerPort();
   logger.error('SYSTEM', 'Worker started but not responding to health checks');
   throw new Error(
-    `Worker service started but is not responding on port ${port}.\n\n` +
-    `Try: npm run worker:restart`
+    getWorkerRestartInstructions({
+      port,
+      customPrefix: `Worker service started but is not responding on port ${port}.`
+    })
   );
 }

src/utils/error-messages.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
+/**
+ * Platform-aware error message generator for worker connection failures
+ */
+
+export interface WorkerErrorMessageOptions {
+  port?: number;
+  includeSkillFallback?: boolean;
+  customPrefix?: string;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Generate platform-specific worker restart instructions
+ * @param options Configuration for error message generation
+ * @returns Formatted error message with platform-specific paths and commands
+ */
+export function getWorkerRestartInstructions(
+  options: WorkerErrorMessageOptions = {}
+): string {
+  const {
+    port,
+    includeSkillFallback = false,
+    customPrefix
+  } = options;
+
+  const isWindows = process.platform === 'win32';
+
+  // Platform-specific directory paths
+  const pluginDir = isWindows
+    ? '%USERPROFILE%\\.claude\\plugins\\marketplaces\\thedotmack'
+    : '~/.claude/plugins/marketplaces/thedotmack';
+
+  // Platform-specific terminal name
+  const terminal = isWindows
+    ? 'Command Prompt or PowerShell'
+    : 'Terminal';
+
+  // Build error message
+  const prefix = customPrefix || 'Worker service connection failed.';
+  const portInfo = port ? ` (port ${port})` : '';
+
+  let message = `${prefix}${portInfo}\n\n`;
+  message += `To restart the worker:\n`;
+  message += `1. Exit Claude Code completely\n`;
+  message += `2. Open ${terminal}\n`;
+  message += `3. Navigate to: ${pluginDir}\n`;
+  message += `4. Run: npm run worker:restart`;
+
+  if (includeSkillFallback) {
+    message += `\n\nIf that doesn't work, try: /troubleshoot`;
+  }
+
+  return message;
+}