Claude Code v2.1.198: Background Subagents by Default and Claude in Chrome Goes GA

The Claude Code development team has released version 2.1.198, a substantial update centered on agent workflows. Subagents now run in the background by default so Claude keeps working while they execute, Claude in Chrome reaches general availability, and a long list of fixes improves the reliability of background agents, agent teams, and the terminal UI.

What’s New

Background Subagents by Default

Subagents now run in the background by default, so Claude keeps working while they run and is notified when they finish — previously a gradual rollout. Subagents and context compaction also inherit the session’s extended thinking configuration, improving output quality on delegated tasks, and the built-in Explore agent now inherits the main session’s model (capped at Opus) instead of running on Haiku.

Claude in Chrome Generally Available

Claude in Chrome is now generally available, bringing browser-based Claude workflows out of preview.

Smarter Background Agents

Sessions in claude agents that need input or finish now fire the Notification hook (agent_needs_input / agent_completed). Background agents launched from claude agents now commit, push, and open a draft PR when they finish code work in a worktree, instead of stopping to ask. Fixes in this area include background tasks no longer getting stuck on “Running” in web, desktop, and VS Code task panels, macOS agents no longer repeatedly showing “Reconnecting…” every ~52 seconds, claude --bg now rejecting the conflicting --print/-p flags up front instead of silently creating an unattachable session, and pressing ← inside claude attach <id> now opening the agent view instead of exiting to the shell.

New /dataviz Skill

A new /dataviz skill provides chart and dashboard design guidance, complete with a runnable color-palette validator.

Gateway and AWS Improvements

The gateway now supports Claude Platform on AWS (anthropicAws) as an upstream provider, and model-not-found responses now advance the failover chain. Claude Platform on AWS and Mantle sessions no longer dead-end with “Please run /login” when the STS token expires — awsAuthRefresh now runs automatically.

Reliability and Network Fixes

Brief network drops mid-response no longer abort the turn — transient errors like ECONNRESET now retry with backoff. Excessive background classifier requests when sandboxed processes repeatedly accessed the same network host have been fixed, and macOS background agent sessions no longer hit “no route to host” for local-network hosts thanks to Local Network entitlements. API retry UX has also improved: the error reason is shown after the second attempt, and a status page link replaces the spinner tip when the API is overloaded.

Agent Teams and Subagent Behavior

A teammate that dies on an API error now reports “failed” to the lead, and messaging a stuck teammate wakes it to retry immediately. Subagents now treat messages from the agent that launched them as normal task direction — though an agent’s message is still never treated as the user’s approval.

UI and Terminal Fixes

This release fixes the /diff panel not refreshing when you switch branches or commit outside the session, markdown tables overflowing in fullscreen mode, Cmd+click not opening URLs in fullscreen mode in Warp on macOS, and double-click word selection now selects the entire URL including the scheme. Syntax highlighting accuracy improves via an upgrade to highlight.js 11, keyboard shortcut hints now show opt/cmd when connected from a Mac over SSH, and focus mode now lists subagents launched in a turn in its activity summary while folding completed background notifications into a single count.

Other Fixes and Changes

Additional fixes cover plan mode auto-allowing read-only tool calls when a session starts in plan mode, .claude/rules/ conditional rules loading via symlinked paths, /desktop failing after entering and exiting a worktree, /branch deriving its default fork name from the first real prompt instead of the compaction summary, the workflow progress view dropping the earliest agents in SDK and desktop-app sessions, and /login now opening the sign-in dialog from the claude agents view. The /agents wizard has been removed — ask Claude to create or manage subagents, or edit .claude/agents/ directly.

How to Update

To update to Claude Code v2.1.198:

Check your current version: claude --version
Update using your preferred method:
- Package manager: Follow your distribution’s update process
- Direct download: Visit the release page for platform-specific binaries
Restart any active background sessions to benefit from the improvements
If you relied on the /agents wizard, switch to asking Claude directly or editing .claude/agents/