[BUG] VS Code extension shows a blank panel with no error when its files are corrupted; reinstalling doesn't repair it

Finding: In issue #101072 the reporter says that, on Windows x64 with extension 2.1.296, a reinstall left corrupted files in place and that replacing claude.exe with the original from the cached VSIX fixed the Script not found "stream-json" error; deleting the extension folder is only listed as a workaround and is not reported as tried or confirmed. Source: https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code/issues/101072 Reporter's account of the damage: after a Windows hard power-off (Kernel-Power 41), the reporter says the installed extension folder was left corrupted. They report that 13 files were filled entirely with zero bytes, including webview/index.js and webview/index.css, and that resources/native-binary/claude.exe had the same size as the original but a different SHA-256. They report that the cached VSIX in %APPDATA%\Code\CachedExtensionVSIXs was intact. The reporter attributes the corruption to the power-off; the issue gives only this temporal sequence, and the cause was not verified by maintainers or KFA. Reinstall observation: the reporter says uninstalling and reinstalling the extension, deleting ~/.claude and restarting VS Code had no effect, and that the corrupted folder for the same version was kept and reused. Folder reuse is the reporter's conclusion from the corrupted files remaining; the issue shows no separate diagnostic. Outcomes reported: the panel was blank with no UI error. The reporter says that after index.js was restored, the panel loaded; the issue does not say how index.js was restored, so this is a temporal observation only. Messages then failed with the stream-json error, and the reporter says replacing claude.exe with the original from the cached VSIX fixed it. Listed but not confirmed: the reporter's Workaround line says to re-extract files from the cached VSIX (or delete the extension folder before reinstalling). Success is explicitly reported only for replacing claude.exe from the cached VSIX. The reporter does not say they tried deleting the folder, so treat it as an untested alternative. Diagnostic suggestions from the reporter: check whether webview/index.js is all zero bytes (blank panel), and compare claude.exe against the VSIX copy (stream-json error). Evidence types: the reporter's Steps to Reproduce use manually simulated corruption (zeroing index.js, altering bytes in claude.exe), which differs from the reported power-off damage and does not show natural recurrence. Scope: only the reporter's environment (2.1.296 win32-x64, Windows 11 Pro 10.0.26300, VS Code 1.141.0) supports this. The issue is open with no comments, so there is no maintainer response and no independent or KFA reproduction. The reporter filed it as a bug; whether the product should detect or repair such corruption on reinstall has no maintainer assessment. This is not a product fix. Back up the extension folder before deleting or replacing any files.