Claude Code v2.1.162 Release Notes

The Claude Code development team has released version 2.1.162, delivering significant improvements to agent management, user interface enhancements, and crucial bug fixes that enhance stability across all platforms.

What’s New

Enhanced Agent Management

The claude agents --json command now includes a waitingFor field that provides clear visibility into what’s blocking a waiting session, such as permission prompts or user input. This enhancement makes it much easier to diagnose and resolve session bottlenecks.

Improved Tool Configuration

When using the --tools flag, explicitly listing Grep/Glob now properly provides dedicated search tools on native builds with embedded search functionality. Previously, these tool names were silently ignored, leading to confusion about available capabilities.

Better Slash Command Experience

Slash commands now behave more intuitively. When you click a slash command in the autocomplete menu, it fills the command into your prompt instead of running it immediately. This gives you a chance to review and modify the command before pressing Enter to execute it.

The /effort command now provides confirmation when your chosen effort level will persist as the default for new sessions, giving you better control over your workflow preferences.

Remote Control UI Updates

Remote Control sessions now display as a persistent footer pill with a direct link to the session, replacing the previous startup message approach. This provides constant visibility and easy access to your remote sessions.

IDE Integration Updates

Following the recent rebrand, Windsurf has been renamed to Devin Desktop throughout the interface, including the /ide menu, /terminal-setup, and /scroll-speed commands.

Critical Bug Fixes

Startup Stability: Fixed a silent startup hang that occurred when the config directory was read-only or unwritable. Claude Code now starts with in-memory configuration and properly surfaces startup errors instead of showing a blank screen.

Windows Compatibility: Resolved significant issues with Windows permission rules that never matched when using backslashes (~\, \\server\share) or case-variant paths. Additionally, Read deny rules now properly hide files from Glob/Grep results.

WebFetch Security: Fixed WebFetch permission rules not being applied to built-in preapproved domains. Explicit WebFetch(domain:...) deny/ask/allow rules now correctly take precedence over preapproved-host auto-allow settings.

MCP Server Improvements: Resolved timeout configuration issues where values below 1000ms were incorrectly floored to 1-second watchdogs that aborted every tool call. Sub-1000ms values are now properly ignored, falling back to MCP_TOOL_TIMEOUT or default values.

Agent Interface Enhancements

The claude agents command received several usability improvements:

Status text now uses the full terminal width instead of being cut at 60-120 columns
Session names are no longer truncated at 40 columns and grow with terminal width
Fixed attachment issues after background-service restarts
Improved Ctrl+V image paste functionality with helpful hints
Better handling of failed sessions and cross-session messaging

How to Update

To update to Claude Code v2.1.162, use your standard update method depending on your installation:

Package managers: Check for updates through your preferred package manager
Direct downloads: Visit the GitHub releases page for the latest binaries
Auto-update: If enabled, the update should be available through the built-in update mechanism

After updating, restart any active Claude Code sessions to ensure all improvements take effect.