majorlinux
ae563efc9e
- New: 05-troubleshooting/networking/pihole-blocks-claude-desktop.md Covers diagnosis via FTL SQLite query log, gravity DB adlist lookup, fix via type-0 domainlist whitelist entry + pihole reloaddns, and why NULL blocking mode produces TCP refused instead of NXDOMAIN. - Updated SUMMARY.md and 05-troubleshooting/index.md with new entry
136 lines
4.6 KiB
Markdown
136 lines
4.6 KiB
Markdown
---
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title: "Pi-hole AI Blocklist Blocks Claude Desktop (ERR_CONNECTION_REFUSED)"
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domain: troubleshooting
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category: networking
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tags: [pihole, dns, claude, adlist, blocklist, ai-blocklist]
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status: published
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created: 2026-04-22
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updated: 2026-04-22
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---
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# Pi-hole AI Blocklist Blocks Claude Desktop (ERR_CONNECTION_REFUSED)
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## 🛑 Problem
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Claude Desktop throws a `[remoteMarketplaceClient] transport error: net::ERR_CONNECTION_REFUSED` error when attempting to install or load a plugin. The app itself loads fine and API calls work, but the marketplace client silently fails.
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---
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## 🔍 Diagnosis
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### Step 1 — Check the Pi-hole query log for claude.ai
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```bash
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sudo pihole-FTL sqlite3 /etc/pihole/pihole-FTL.db \
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"SELECT datetime(timestamp, 'unixepoch', 'localtime') as time, domain, status \
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FROM queries \
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WHERE domain LIKE '%anthropic%' OR domain LIKE '%claude%' \
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ORDER BY timestamp DESC LIMIT 50;"
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```
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Look for `claude.ai` entries with **status `1`** (gravity/adlist block). Status `2` or `3` means it's resolving fine.
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**FTL status codes relevant here:**
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| Status | Meaning |
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|--------|---------|
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| 1 | Blocked — gravity (adlist) |
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| 2 | Forwarded (allowed) |
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| 3 | Cached (allowed) |
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| 4 | Blocked — regex domainlist |
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| 5 | Blocked — exact domainlist |
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### Step 2 — Identify which adlist is blocking it
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```bash
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sudo pihole-FTL sqlite3 /etc/pihole/gravity.db \
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"SELECT a.address, a.comment \
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FROM gravity g \
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JOIN adlist a ON g.adlist_id = a.id \
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WHERE g.domain = 'claude.ai';"
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```
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**Root cause:** `claude.ai` appears in AI-focused blocklists because they target AI scraper and training crawlers by domain. Claude Desktop's marketplace client makes outbound requests to `claude.ai`, which Pi-hole resolves to `0.0.0.0` in NULL blocking mode — resulting in `ERR_CONNECTION_REFUSED` at the TCP layer.
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Known adlists that include `claude.ai`:
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- **uBlockOrigin HUGE AI Blocklist** (`laylavish/uBlockOrigin-HUGE-AI-Blocklist`)
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- **Super SEO Spam Suppressor** (`NotaInutilis/Super-SEO-Spam-Suppressor`)
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---
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## ✅ Fix
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Add `claude.ai` as an exact whitelist entry (type 0) in Pi-hole's domainlist. This overrides any gravity block.
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```bash
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sudo pihole-FTL sqlite3 /etc/pihole/gravity.db \
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"INSERT OR IGNORE INTO domainlist (type, domain, enabled, comment) \
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VALUES (0, 'claude.ai', 1, 'Whitelisted — blocked by AI/SEO adlists, needed for Claude Desktop marketplace client');"
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```
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Then reload DNS to apply:
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```bash
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sudo pihole reloaddns
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```
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### Verify the whitelist entry is active
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```bash
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sudo pihole-FTL sqlite3 /etc/pihole/gravity.db \
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"SELECT domain, type, enabled, comment FROM domainlist WHERE domain = 'claude.ai';"
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```
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Expected output:
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```
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claude.ai|0|1|Whitelisted — blocked by AI/SEO adlists, needed for Claude Desktop marketplace client
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```
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---
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## 🔁 Why This Happens
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Pi-hole in NULL blocking mode resolves blocked domains to `0.0.0.0`. When Claude Desktop's marketplace client tries to connect to `claude.ai`, the TCP handshake to `0.0.0.0` is immediately refused by the OS — producing `ERR_CONNECTION_REFUSED` rather than a timeout or DNS error. This makes it look like a network or server issue rather than a DNS block.
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AI-focused blocklists cast a wide net and include domains like `claude.ai` alongside actual AI scraper hostnames. The fix is a precision whitelist entry rather than removing the adlist.
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---
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## ⚠️ Note on the Custom Domainlist
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`claude.ai` may also appear as an accidental **exact deny** entry in the Pi-hole custom domainlist if it was added via "Block" in the Pi-hole query log UI. This compounds the adlist block. Clean the domainlist if needed:
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```bash
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# Check for exact deny entries
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sudo pihole-FTL sqlite3 /etc/pihole/gravity.db \
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"SELECT id, domain, type, enabled FROM domainlist WHERE domain = 'claude.ai';"
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# Remove an unwanted deny entry (type 1 = exact deny)
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sudo pihole-FTL sqlite3 /etc/pihole/gravity.db \
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"DELETE FROM domainlist WHERE domain = 'claude.ai' AND type = 1;"
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sudo pihole reloaddns
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```
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---
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## 🔎 Quick Reference
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```bash
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# Check if claude.ai is blocked
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sudo pihole-FTL sqlite3 /etc/pihole/pihole-FTL.db \
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"SELECT datetime(timestamp, 'unixepoch', 'localtime'), domain, status \
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FROM queries WHERE domain = 'claude.ai' ORDER BY timestamp DESC LIMIT 10;"
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# Find which adlist is blocking it
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sudo pihole-FTL sqlite3 /etc/pihole/gravity.db \
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"SELECT a.address FROM gravity g JOIN adlist a ON g.adlist_id = a.id \
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WHERE g.domain = 'claude.ai';"
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# Whitelist it
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sudo pihole-FTL sqlite3 /etc/pihole/gravity.db \
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"INSERT OR IGNORE INTO domainlist (type, domain, enabled, comment) \
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VALUES (0, 'claude.ai', 1, 'Claude Desktop marketplace client');"
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# Reload
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sudo pihole reloaddns
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```
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