A stdio server defined in your project's shared configuration starts for one teammate and fails for another. Its command uses a path relative to the project root. What explains the difference?

The principle — A relative path is meaningless without a base, and the base here is a property of how each person started their session rather than of the file everybody shares.

Why the key is correct — Relative file paths in a command or its arguments are a frequent cause of a failing server, because they resolve against the directory you launched Claude Code from rather than the location of the configuration file. One teammate starts at the project root and the path resolves; the other starts a level down and it does not. The file is identical for both, which is exactly why the difference is confusing until you know this.

Why the others are wrong — Resolution is not relative to the configuration file, however sensible that would be. A permissions problem produces a refusal on a file that was located, not a failure to locate one. And the repository root is not the base unless it happens also to be where the session was started.

Remember this — In a shared config, use an absolute path or a command on the path — never a relative one.

Sources — Anthropic's Claude Code configuration debugging guide.