Claude Code Release Notes 2.1.4

Claude Code 2.1.4: Background Task Control and OAuth Fix

Claude Code 2.1.4 introduces environment variable control for background tasks and fixes OAuth token refresh issues.

January 11, 2026 • 3 min read • By ClaudeWorld

Claude Code 2.1.4 landed on January 11, 2026, bringing important improvements for CI/CD environments and fixing an OAuth issue.

What’s New

Background Task Control

The new CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_BACKGROUND_TASKS environment variable gives you complete control:

export CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_BACKGROUND_TASKS=1
claude

This disables:

  • All background task functionality
  • The Ctrl+B shortcut

Use cases:

  • CI/CD pipelines where background tasks aren’t needed
  • Simpler, more predictable behavior
  • Avoiding shortcut conflicts with your terminal

OAuth Token Refresh Fix

Fixed an issue where the help improvement setting’s OAuth token wasn’t refreshing properly.

Upgrade

npm update -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code

References