diff --git a/src/codegen/cli/commands/claude/main.py b/src/codegen/cli/commands/claude/main.py
index 4fa0e1e42..9f5b58d35 100644
--- a/src/codegen/cli/commands/claude/main.py
+++ b/src/codegen/cli/commands/claude/main.py
@@ -184,22 +184,15 @@ def _run_claude_interactive(resolved_org_id: int, no_mcp: bool | None) -> None:
     # Initialize log watcher manager
     log_watcher_manager = ClaudeLogWatcherManager()
 
-    # Resolve Claude CLI path and test accessibility
+    # Resolve Claude CLI path (we already checked it exists in the main claude() function)
     claude_path = resolve_claude_path()
     if not claude_path:
+        # This should not happen since we check earlier, but handle it just in case
         logger.error(
-            "Claude CLI not found",
+            "Claude CLI not found in interactive mode",
             extra={"operation": "claude.interactive", "org_id": resolved_org_id, "claude_session_id": session_id, "error_type": "claude_cli_not_found", **_get_session_context()},
         )
         console.print("❌ Claude Code CLI not found.", style="red")
-        console.print(
-            "💡 If you migrated a local install, ensure `~/.claude/local/claude` exists, or add it to PATH.",
-            style="dim",
-        )
-        console.print(
-            "💡 Otherwise install globally via npm (e.g., `npm i -g claude`) or run `claude /migrate`.",
-            style="dim",
-        )
         update_claude_session_status(session_id, "ERROR", resolved_org_id)
         raise typer.Exit(1)
 
@@ -373,6 +366,24 @@ def claude(
         },
     )
 
+    # Check if Claude is installed for interactive mode (not needed for background mode)
+    if background is None:
+        claude_path = resolve_claude_path()
+        if not claude_path:
+            logger.error(
+                "Claude CLI not found",
+                extra={"operation": "claude.command", "error_type": "claude_cli_not_found", **_get_session_context()},
+            )
+            # Use t_console (the visible console) for error messages instead of the quiet console
+            t_console.print("\n[red bold]❌ Claude Code Not Installed[/red bold]")
+            t_console.print("\n[yellow]Claude Code CLI is not installed or cannot be found.[/yellow]")
+            t_console.print("\n[bold]To install Claude Code:[/bold]")
+            t_console.print("  • Install globally: [cyan]npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code[/cyan]")
+            t_console.print("  • Or run: [cyan]claude /migrate-installer[/cyan] for local installation")
+            t_console.print("\n[dim]If you migrated a local install, ensure ~/.claude/local/claude exists[/dim]")
+            t_console.print("[dim]or add it to your PATH.[/dim]")
+            raise typer.Exit(1)
+
     # Resolve org_id early for session management
     resolved_org_id = resolve_org_id(org_id)
     if resolved_org_id is None:
diff --git a/src/codegen/cli/tui/app.py b/src/codegen/cli/tui/app.py
index b0f6acfc9..c602bd116 100644
--- a/src/codegen/cli/tui/app.py
+++ b/src/codegen/cli/tui/app.py
@@ -570,9 +570,26 @@ def _display_dashboard_tab(self):
 
     def _display_claude_tab(self):
         """Display the Claude Code interface tab."""
-        print("  \033[37m→ Run Claude Code\033[0m")
-        print()
-        print("Press Enter to launch Claude Code with session tracking.")
+        # Check if Claude Code is installed
+        from codegen.cli.commands.claude.utils import resolve_claude_path
+
+        claude_path = resolve_claude_path()
+        if not claude_path:
+            # Display error message when Claude is not installed
+            print("  \033[31m✗ Claude Code Not Installed\033[0m")
+            print()
+            print("\033[33m⚠ Claude Code CLI is not installed or cannot be found.\033[0m")
+            print()
+            print("To install Claude Code:")
+            print("  • Install globally: \033[36mnpm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code\033[0m")
+            print("  • Or run: \033[36mclaude /migrate-installer\033[0m for local installation")
+            print()
+            print("Once installed, restart this CLI to use Claude Code.")
+        else:
+            print("  \033[37m→ Run Claude Code\033[0m")
+            print()
+            print("Press Enter to launch Claude Code with session tracking.")
+
         # The claude tab main content area should be a fixed 10 lines
         self._pad_to_lines(7)
 
@@ -892,6 +909,15 @@ def _handle_dashboard_tab_keypress(self, key: str):
     def _handle_claude_tab_keypress(self, key: str):
         """Handle keypresses in the claude tab."""
         if key == "\r" or key == "\n":  # Enter - run Claude Code
+            # Check if Claude is installed before attempting to run
+            from codegen.cli.commands.claude.utils import resolve_claude_path
+
+            claude_path = resolve_claude_path()
+            if not claude_path:
+                # Claude is not installed, don't try to launch
+                logger.warning("Attempted to launch Claude Code but it's not installed", extra={"operation": "tui.launch_claude", "error": "not_installed"})
+                return
+
             self._run_claude_code()
 
     def _run_claude_code(self):