Claude Code v2.1.157: Enhanced Plugin System and Workflow Improvements

Claude Code v2.1.157 brings significant enhancements to the plugin ecosystem and agent management, making your development workflow more seamless than ever. This release focuses on improving plugin discoverability, fixing critical workflow issues, and enhancing the overall user experience.

What’s New

Plugin System Enhancements

Automatic Plugin Loading: Plugins placed in .claude/skills directories are now automatically loaded without requiring marketplace installation. This streamlines plugin management and makes it easier to use custom or local plugins.

New Plugin Scaffolding: The new claude plugin init <name> command creates a complete plugin template in .claude/skills, helping developers get started with plugin creation quickly.

Enhanced Autocomplete: The /plugin command now provides intelligent autocomplete for subcommands, installed plugin names, and plugins from known marketplaces, improving discoverability and reducing typing errors.

Agent Management Improvements

Settings-Based Agent Selection: The agent field in settings.json is now honored for dispatched sessions in claude agents, with the ability to override using --agent <name>. This provides better consistency across sessions.

Dynamic Worktree Switching: EnterWorktree can now switch between Claude-managed worktrees mid-session, enabling more flexible project management.

Improved Telemetry: tool_decision events now include tool_parameters when OTEL_LOG_TOOL_DETAILS=1 is set, providing better debugging and analytics capabilities.

Workflow and Performance Fixes

Better Git Integration: Claude-managed worktrees are now left unlocked when agents finish, allowing standard git worktree remove/prune commands to clean them up properly.

Enhanced Image Handling: Fixed crashes when processing corrupted or zero-byte images from paste, MCP, or dialog operations - they now gracefully become text placeholders.

Sandbox Permission Improvements: Resolved network permission prompts appearing incorrectly in auto and bypass-permissions modes for desktop apps, IDE extensions, and SDK usage.

Terminal and UI Enhancements: Multiple fixes for terminal behavior, including clipboard handling in tmux, fullscreen mode improvements, and better rendering performance for long conversations.

WSL Support: Enhanced Windows Subsystem for Linux support with improved image paste functionality and drag-and-drop from Windows Explorer.

How to Update

To update to Claude Code v2.1.157:

Using the built-in updater: Run claude update in your terminal
Manual installation: Download the latest version from the official release page
Package managers: Update using your preferred package manager (Homebrew, etc.)

After updating, existing plugins in .claude/skills will be automatically recognized and loaded on your next session.

Claude Code v2.1.157 Release Notes