Claude Code Ultimate Guide — Updates

Claude Code v2.1.139

Tue, 12 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

⭐ Agent view (Research Preview): claude agents lists all sessions — running, blocked on you, or done
⭐ /goal command: set a completion condition; Claude works across turns with live elapsed/turns/tokens overlay
Hook args: string[] exec form (no shell spawning) + continueOnBlock for PostToolUse
40+ bug fixes: auth deadlock, autoAllowBashIfSandboxed shell expansion, MCP SSE 16MB cap, Skill wildcard prefix match

[Guide Release] Claude Code v2.1.139

Tue, 12 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Agent view (Research Preview) lands: run claude agents to see every session — running, blocked on you, or done — in one list. New /goal command lets you set a completion condition and Claude keeps working across turns with a live elapsed/turns/tokens overlay. Hook args exec form now spawns commands without a shell, and continueOnBlock for PostToolUse feeds rejection reasons back to Claude. 40+ bug fixes including an auth deadlock, autoAllowBashIfSandboxed shell expansion, MCP SSE memory cap, and Skill wildcard prefix match.

Claude Code v2.1.138

Mon, 11 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Internal fixes

Claude Code v2.1.137

Mon, 11 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

[VSCode] Fixed extension failing to activate on Windows

Claude Code v2.1.136

Mon, 11 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

⭐ settings.autoMode.hard_deny — auto mode classifier rules that block unconditionally regardless of user intent or allow exceptions
CLAUDE_CODE_ENABLE_FEEDBACK_SURVEY_FOR_OTEL to re-enable session quality survey for enterprises capturing responses via OpenTelemetry
Fixed MCP servers disappearing after /clear in VS Code/JetBrains/Agent SDK; MCP OAuth concurrent refresh token race fixed (no more daily re-auth for multi-server users)
40+ UI/terminal fixes: plan mode write blocking, extended thinking redacted-block API 400 fix, --resume with underscores in project path, WSL2 image paste via PowerShell fallback

[Guide Release] Claude Code v2.1.136

Mon, 11 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

New settings.autoMode.hard_deny enables unconditional auto mode classifier rules that block regardless of user intent. Fixed MCP servers silently disappearing after /clear in VS Code, JetBrains, and Agent SDK, and MCP OAuth concurrent refresh token loss (no more daily re-authentication for multi-server setups). 40+ UI and terminal fixes including plan mode write blocking, extended thinking 400 fix, and WSL2 image paste via PowerShell fallback.

Claude Code v2.1.133

Fri, 08 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

⭐ worktree.baseRef setting (fresh | head) — fresh (default) branches from origin/<default>; set head to keep local HEAD with unpushed commits. Note: reverts 2.1.128 behavior — set worktree.baseRef: "head" to restore it
Hooks receive active effort level via effort.level JSON field and $CLAUDE_EFFORT env var in Bash subcommands
Fixed subagents not discovering project/user/plugin skills via Skill tool
Fixed parallel sessions dead-ending at 401 after refresh-token race; HTTP(S)_PROXY/NO_PROXY/mTLS now respected for full MCP OAuth flow

Breaking changes:

worktree.baseRef defaults to fresh (branches from origin/<default>), reverting 2.1.128 — set worktree.baseRef: "head" to keep local HEAD

Claude Code v2.1.132

Fri, 08 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

CLAUDE_CODE_SESSION_ID env var now passed to Bash tool subprocess environment (matches session_id in hook JSON input)
CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_ALTERNATE_SCREEN=1 to opt out of the fullscreen alternate-screen renderer and keep output in native scrollback
Fixed unbounded memory growth (10GB+ RSS) when a stdio MCP server writes non-protocol data to stdout
20+ terminal/TUI/MCP fixes: SIGINT graceful shutdown, --resume emoji crash, fullscreen blank after sleep, JetBrains scroll runaway, mouse wheel speed in Cursor/VS Code, pasting / swallow, statusline context token counts, Alt+T on macOS, MCP tools/list failure silent 0-tools

[Guide Release] Claude Code v2.1.133

Fri, 08 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

New worktree.baseRef setting (fresh | head) lets you control whether EnterWorktree and agent-isolation worktrees branch from origin/ or local HEAD — note the default fresh reverts the 2.1.128 behavior. Hooks now receive the active effort level via effort.level JSON and $CLAUDE_EFFORT env var. Fixed subagents not discovering project/user/plugin skills, parallel sessions dead-ending at 401 after token refresh race, and MCP OAuth flow ignoring proxy settings.

[Guide Release] Claude Code v2.1.132

Fri, 08 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

CLAUDE_CODE_SESSION_ID is now passed to Bash tool subprocess environments, matching the session_id in hook JSON. New CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_ALTERNATE_SCREEN=1 opt-out for the fullscreen renderer. Fixed unbounded memory growth (10GB+ RSS) when a stdio MCP server writes non-protocol output. 20+ terminal and TUI fixes: SIGINT graceful shutdown, --resume emoji crash, fullscreen blank after sleep, JetBrains scroll runaway, mouse wheel speed in VS Code/Cursor, pasting / swallowing input, MCP silent 0-tool failures.

Claude Code v2.1.131

Wed, 06 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Fixed VS Code extension failing to activate on Windows (hardcoded createRequire build path in bundled SDK)
Fixed Mantle endpoint authentication failing with missing x-api-key header

Claude Code v2.1.129

Wed, 06 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

--plugin-url <url> flag to fetch a plugin .zip archive from URL for the current session; CLAUDE_CODE_PACKAGE_MANAGER_AUTO_UPDATE for Homebrew/WinGet auto-upgrade with restart prompt
Ctrl+R history picker restored to all-projects default (pre-2.1.124 behavior) — press Ctrl+S to narrow to current project or session; skillOverrides setting now works
Gateway /v1/models discovery now opt-in via CLAUDE_CODE_ENABLE_GATEWAY_MODEL_DISCOVERY=1; third-party deployments no longer see first-party spinner tips
20+ bug fixes: 1h prompt cache TTL downgrade, OAuth refresh race after sleep, Bash(mkdir *) allow rules, /context wasting ~1.6k tokens, /clear tab title reset, agent panel hidden regression, Bash(touch *) allow rules

[Guide Release] Claude Code v2.1.129

Wed, 06 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

New --plugin-url flag lets you fetch a plugin .zip from any URL for the current session, and CLAUDE_CODE_PACKAGE_MANAGER_AUTO_UPDATE enables background auto-upgrades with a restart prompt on Homebrew and WinGet. Ctrl+R history search is back to all-projects default (pre-2.1.124), the skillOverrides setting now works correctly, and gateway /v1/models discovery is now opt-in. 20+ bug fixes including the 1-hour prompt cache TTL downgrade, OAuth refresh race after sleep, and Bash(mkdir *) allow rules not being honored.

Claude Code v2.1.128

Tue, 05 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

EnterWorktree now creates branch from local HEAD — unpushed commits no longer dropped; --plugin-dir accepts .zip plugin archives
--channels works with console (API key) auth; /mcp shows tool count per server and flags 0-tool servers
Parallel bash tool call fix: a failing read-only command no longer cancels sibling calls; sub-agent summaries now include prompt cache (~3x cache_creation reduction)
35+ bug fixes: 1M-context false "Prompt is too long", MCP stdio corrupted args with spaces, MCP images dropped on structured+content blocks, clipboard whitespace in code blocks

Claude Code v2.1.126

Fri, 01 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

⭐ /model picker lists models from your gateway's /v1/models endpoint when ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL points at a compatible gateway
⭐ claude project purge [path] — delete all Claude Code state for a project (transcripts, tasks, history, config entry); supports --dry-run, -y, -i, --all
claude auth login accepts pasted OAuth code when browser callback can't reach localhost (WSL2, SSH, containers); Windows PowerShell 7 now detected + primary shell
Security: Fixed allowManagedDomainsOnly/allowManagedReadPathsOnly ignored when higher-priority settings lacked sandbox block; 40+ bug fixes (image paste crash >2000px, Stream idle timeout after sleep, CJK text on Windows, OAuth timeout, Agent SDK hang)

[Guide Release] Claude Code v2.1.126

Fri, 01 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

The /model picker now lists models from your gateway's /v1/models endpoint when ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL points at a compatible gateway. New claude project purge command deletes all Claude Code state for a project (transcripts, tasks, history, config entry). Security fix for allowManagedDomainsOnly/allowManagedReadPathsOnly being ignored, plus 40+ bug fixes covering image paste crashes, Stream idle timeout after sleep, and CJK text rendering on Windows.

Claude Code v2.1.123

Wed, 29 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Fixed OAuth authentication failing with 401 retry loop when CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_EXPERIMENTAL_BETAS=1 is set

Claude Code v2.1.122

Tue, 28 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

⭐ ANTHROPIC_BEDROCK_SERVICE_TIER env var to select Bedrock service tier (default/flex/priority) via X-Amzn-Bedrock-Service-Tier header
Pasting a PR URL into /resume search finds the session that created it (GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, GitHub Enterprise)
Fixes: Vertex AI/Bedrock output_config errors, image resize corrected (2576→2000px max), remote control idle redraw flood, !exit/!quit bash mode crash, ToolSearch missing late-connecting MCP tools

Claude Code v2.1.121

Mon, 27 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

⭐ alwaysLoad MCP server config option — tools skip tool-search deferral and are always available
⭐ claude plugin prune removes orphaned auto-installed plugin deps; PostToolUse hooks can now replace output for all tools (previously MCP-only)
Type-to-filter search in /skills; MCP servers auto-retry 3x on startup; --dangerously-skip-permissions skips .claude/ dirs
Critical fixes: unbounded memory growth (multi-GB RSS) with images; /usage memory leak (~2GB); Bash tool unusable when start dir deleted; --resume crash on corrupted sessions

[Guide Release] Claude Code v2.1.121

Mon, 27 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

New alwaysLoad MCP config option lets all tools from a server bypass tool-search deferral. claude plugin prune removes orphaned plugin dependencies. PostToolUse hooks can now replace output for all tools, not just MCP. Critical memory leak fixes: multi-GB RSS growth with images and a ~2GB /usage leak on large transcript histories.

Claude Code v2.1.120

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

⭐ Windows: Git for Windows (Git Bash) no longer required — PowerShell used as shell tool when absent
⭐ claude ultrareview [target] subcommand for non-interactive CI/script use (--json for raw output)
Skills can reference effort level with ${CLAUDE_EFFORT}; AI_AGENT env var for gh traffic attribution
Fixes: Esc during stdio MCP call closing server (regression 2.1.105), /rewind keyboard input after --resume, scrollback duplication, false-positive rm permission prompts in auto mode

Claude Code v2.1.119

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

⭐ /config settings (theme, editor mode, verbose) now persist to ~/.claude/settings.json and participate in project/local/policy override precedence
⭐ --from-pr now accepts GitLab merge-request, Bitbucket pull-request, and GitHub Enterprise PR URLs
--print honors agent tools:/disallowedTools: frontmatter; --agent honors permissionMode; PowerShell auto-approve; PostToolUse hooks include duration_ms
Security: blockedMarketplaces enforces hostPattern/pathPattern; prUrlTemplate setting; 30+ bug fixes including CRLF paste, Glob/Grep on macOS, /plan mode fix, TaskList ordering, stale worktree reuse

[Guide Release] Claude Code v2.1.120

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Windows no longer requires Git for Windows — PowerShell is used as the shell tool when Git Bash is absent. New claude ultrareview [target] subcommand runs /ultrareview non-interactively from CI or scripts. Skills can now reference the current effort level with ${CLAUDE_EFFORT}.

[Guide Release] Claude Code v2.1.119

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

/config settings now persist to ~/.claude/settings.json with project/local/policy override precedence. --from-pr accepts GitLab MR, Bitbucket PR, and GitHub Enterprise URLs. --print mode honors agent tools: frontmatter; --agent honors permissionMode. Security fix: blockedMarketplaces now enforces hostPattern/pathPattern. 30+ bug fixes including CRLF paste, Glob/Grep on macOS, /plan mode, TaskList ordering, and stale worktree reuse.

Claude Code v2.1.118

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

⭐ Vim visual mode (v) and visual-line mode (V) with selection, operators, and visual feedback
⭐ /cost and /stats merged into /usage — both remain as typing shortcuts that open the relevant tab
⭐ Custom named themes from /theme or hand-edit JSON in ~/.claude/themes/; plugins can ship themes via themes/ directory
Hooks can invoke MCP tools directly via type: "mcp_tool"; DISABLE_UPDATES env var; wslInheritsWindowsSettings policy; 15+ bug fixes

[Guide Release] Claude Code v2.1.118

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Vim visual mode (v/V) with selection and operators. /cost and /stats merged into /usage. Custom named themes via /theme or ~/.claude/themes/; plugins can ship themes. Hooks can now invoke MCP tools directly via type: "mcp_tool". 15+ bug fixes including MCP OAuth, credential save crash, Alt+K freeze, and /fork memory usage.

Claude Code v2.1.117

Wed, 22 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

⭐ Default effort changed to high for Pro/Max subscribers on Opus 4.6 and Sonnet 4.6 (was medium)
⭐ Fixed Opus 4.7 sessions showing inflated /context percentages and autocompacting too early — was computing against 200K instead of native 1M context window
Native macOS/Linux builds: Glob and Grep tools replaced by embedded bfs and ugrep — faster searches without extra tool round-trip (Windows/npm unchanged)
/model selections persist across restarts; startup header shows model source pin; plugin dependency fixes; 15+ bug fixes

[Guide Release] Claude Code v2.1.117

Wed, 22 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Default effort raised to high for Pro/Max on Opus 4.6 and Sonnet 4.6 (was medium). Fixed Opus 4.7 context window bug — was computing /context against 200K instead of 1M. Native macOS/Linux builds now use embedded bfs/ugrep replacing Glob/Grep tools for faster searches.

[New Section] 7-Module Learning Path — beginner to advanced

Wed, 22 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

New structured learning path covering Installation, Core Loop, Memory & Config, Agents, Skills, Hooks, and Advanced Patterns. 8-11 hours total with hands-on exercises and validation steps per module. Designed for first-time users who want a guided route through Claude Code instead of reading the 25K-line reference cold.

Claude Code v2.1.116

Tue, 21 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

⭐ /resume up to 67% faster on large sessions (40MB+); handles sessions with many dead-fork entries more efficiently
Thinking spinner shows inline progress: "still thinking", "thinking more", "almost done thinking" — replaces the separate hint row
Security: sandbox auto-allow no longer bypasses the dangerous-path check for rm/rmdir targeting /, $HOME, or critical system directories
Agent frontmatter hooks: now fire when running as main-thread agent via --agent; /config search matches option values; many terminal, scrolling, and UI bug fixes

Claude Code v2.1.114

Sat, 18 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Fixed crash in permission dialog when an agent teams teammate requested tool permission

Claude Code v2.1.113

Sat, 18 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

⭐ CLI now spawns a native Claude Code binary via per-platform optional dependency instead of bundled JavaScript
⭐ sandbox.network.deniedDomains setting — block specific domains even when a wildcard allowedDomains would permit them
Security hardening: macOS /private/{etc,var,tmp,home} paths flagged for Bash(rm:*) rules; deny rules match env/sudo/watch/ionice/setsid wrappers; Bash(find:*) no longer auto-approves -exec/-delete
Keyboard improvements (Ctrl+A/E logical line, Ctrl+Backspace on Windows); /loop Esc cancels wakeups; subagents fail with clear error after 10 min; many bug fixes

[Guide Release] Claude Code v2.1.113

Sat, 18 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

The CLI now spawns a native Claude Code binary via a per-platform optional dependency instead of bundled JavaScript. New sandbox.network.deniedDomains setting blocks specific domains even when a wildcard allowedDomains rule would otherwise permit them. Security hardening across the board: macOS /private/{etc,var,tmp,home} paths flagged as dangerous for rm rules, Bash deny rules now match commands wrapped in env/sudo/watch/ionice/setsid, and Bash(find:*) allow rules no longer auto-approve -exec/-delete.

[Guide Release] Claude Code v2.1.111

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Claude Opus 4.7 gains a new xhigh effort level (between high and max). Two new built-in skills: /ultrareview runs cloud-based parallel multi-agent code review on your current branch or any GitHub PR, and /less-permission-prompts auto-generates a read-only allowlist for settings.json from your transcript history. Auto mode for Max subscribers no longer requires --enable-auto-mode. Plan files are now named after your prompt instead of random words.

[Guide Release] Claude Code Ultimate Guide v3.39.1

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

context-evaluator (Packmind, MIT) added to the Configuration Quality section: 17 AI evaluators for CLAUDE.md/AGENTS.md, zero-install at context-evaluator.ai, automated remediation via patch file. Two new skill design patterns from its source: Runtime Prompt Logging (blocking write before AI call) and Adaptive Unified/Parallel Mode (token-threshold switching between 1-agent and N-agent execution).

[Guide Release] Claude Code Ultimate Guide v3.39.0

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Six new architectural patterns from Packmind (Apache 2.0): Skeptical Reviewer sub-agent for filtering false positives, MCP Reference File pattern with a fork-ready Sentry template, Shared Ground Truth Injection, Pre-filtered Rules via frontmatter paths, Handoff Triad with per-section merge rules, and Context Validation Checkpoints for command recipes. Also adds Plans+Specs as committed artifacts and a statusline.py example with the 32K output buffer calculation.

[Guide Release] Claude Code Ultimate Guide v3.38.17

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

New "Structural Metadata Files" pattern in the context-engineering section: separate rules context (CLAUDE.md) from structural context (code-map.yaml). Includes a ready-to-use template and a benchmark script (context-bench.sh) to measure token cost and structural coverage across three loading strategies.

[Guide Release] Claude Code v2.1.110

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

New /tui command and tui setting enable flicker-free fullscreen rendering within the same conversation. Claude can now send mobile push notifications via the push notification tool when Remote Control is active. --resume and --continue now resurrect unexpired scheduled tasks, and a new /focus command separates the focus view from Ctrl+O (which reverts to verbose transcript toggle).

[Guide Release] Claude Code v2.1.108

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

New ENABLE_PROMPT_CACHING_1H env var lets you opt into 1-hour prompt cache TTL on API key, Bedrock, Vertex, and Foundry. New /recap command provides context when returning to a session after a break. Built-in slash commands like /init, /review, and /security-review are now discoverable and invokable via the Skill tool.

[Guide Release] Claude Code v2.1.105

Mon, 13 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

PreCompact hook support lets hooks block compaction. EnterWorktree gains a path parameter for switching into existing worktrees. Plugin background monitors auto-arm at session start. WebFetch strips CSS/JS content from pages, and /doctor adds status icons with an f-to-fix action.

[Guide Release] Claude Code v2.1.101

Fri, 10 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

New /team-onboarding command generates a teammate ramp-up guide from your local Claude Code usage. OS CA certificate store is now trusted by default, making enterprise TLS proxies work without extra config. 40+ bug fixes including --resume context loss, Bedrock SigV4 auth, and Grep ENOENT self-heal.

[Guide Release] Claude Code Ultimate Guide v3.38.12

Thu, 09 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Full documentation of the built-in Output Styles feature (Default, Explanatory, Learning) — previously undocumented as a first-class product. Covers /config activation, outputStyle in settings.json, custom styles via .claude/styles/, and debunks the keep-coding-instructions myth.

[Guide Release] Claude Code v2.1.97

Thu, 09 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Focus view toggle (Ctrl+O) in NO_FLICKER mode shows prompt, one-line tool summary with edit diffstats, and final response. New refreshInterval status line setting and workspace.git_worktree JSON field. Massive bug-fix release: 30+ fixes across NO_FLICKER (15 fixes including crash and memory leak), /resume (6 fixes), MCP 50 MB/hr buffer leak, permissions hardening, and 429 exponential backoff.

[Guide Release] Claude Code Ultimate Guide v3.38.8

Wed, 08 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Full documentation of Ultraplan (research preview, v2.1.91+): cloud planning via multi-agent Opus 4.6, browser-based review with inline comments and emoji reactions, dual execution paths (cloud PR or teleport back to terminal). Includes comparison table vs Plan Mode vs OpusPlan, requirements, and when to use it.

[Guide Release] Claude Code v2.1.94

Tue, 07 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Amazon Bedrock powered by Mantle is now supported (CLAUDE_CODE_USE_MANTLE=1). Default effort level raised from medium to high for API-key, Bedrock/Vertex/Foundry, Team, and Enterprise users. Plugin skills now use frontmatter name for stable invocation across install methods.

[Guide Release] Claude Code v2.1.92

Sat, 04 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

New interactive Bedrock setup wizard from the login screen guides through AWS auth, region config, credential verification, and model pinning. forceRemoteSettingsRefresh policy setting adds fail-closed managed settings enforcement. /cost now shows per-model and cache-hit breakdown for subscription users. Linux sandbox apply-seccomp fix restores unix-socket blocking in both npm and native builds.

[Guide Release] Claude Code Ultimate Guide v3.38.3

Fri, 03 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

New page: Team Metrics for AI-Augmented Engineering — covers DORA (with 2025 archetype shift), SPACE framework, AI-specific metrics, and recommendations by team size (5 vs 25 people). Also adds a "Team-Level Steering Metrics" section to the Tech Leads guide with Velocity Trap warning and Monday ritual. Landing page at cc.bruniaux.com/team-metrics/.

[Guide Release] Claude Code Ultimate Guide v3.38.2

Thu, 02 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Hook events expanded to complete 27-event list (8 logical groups including SubagentStart/Stop, PreCompact/PostCompact, WorktreeCreate/Remove, and more). Session-scoped hooks documented. bypassPermissions safety invariant table added. MEMORY.md file limits documented (200 lines, 25KB, 200 files). reference.yaml synced.

[Guide Release] Claude Code v2.1.90

Thu, 02 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Adds /powerup interactive lessons with animated demos, hardens PowerShell tool permissions, and fixes a session-crashing infinite loop in the rate-limit dialog plus a prompt-cache regression in --resume.

[New Page] New page: Methodologies — 20 methods mapped, 8 stacks, interactive quiz

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

New /methodologies/ page mapping 20 AI-assisted development methodologies on two axes (Spec-First vs Code-First, Lean vs Enterprise). Includes an interactive quiz to find your methodology stack, 8 recommended combos (Solo MVP, Team Greenfield, API Contract, Power User Loop and more), and a full decision matrix.