Claude Code Versions: Changelog & Release History
Claude Code follows three-part version numbers like 2.1.278, shipping new builds almost daily. The current release as of September 19, 2026 is 2.1.278. Run claude --version to check yours, or claude update to pull the latest. This page tracks recent releases and how Claude Code's install, update, and version-pinning system works.
What is the current Claude Code version?
2.1.278, released September 19, 2026. It changed how auto mode's classifier is billed for Claude API and Enterprise users — it now defaults to a server-side classifier that doesn't charge classifier overhead — and added an "Auto mode server" row to /status so you can see where your session's classifier is running.
To check your own installed version, run:
claude --version
A working install prints something like 2.1.278 (Claude Code). If you want more than the version number — install health, settings-file validation, auto-update status — run claude doctor instead. It's read-only and starts no session.
How does Claude Code versioning work?
Versions are three dot-separated numbers, like 2.1.278. In practice the last segment increments on nearly every release — sometimes several times in one day when a regression needs a quick follow-up fix — while the first two segments stay fixed across long stretches of releases. Anthropic doesn't publish a formal semver contract for what triggers a minor-version bump versus a patch, so treat the number as a release counter rather than a strict semver signal about backward compatibility.
What changed in recent Claude Code releases?
| Version | Date | Highlights |
|---|---|---|
| 2.1.278 | Sep 19, 2026 | Server-side auto mode classifier by default for Claude API/Enterprise; new /status row |
| 2.1.277 | Sep 18, 2026 | AGENTS.md support — reads it instead of CLAUDE.md when no CLAUDE.md is present |
| 2.1.276 | Sep 18, 2026 | Fixed a request failure when ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL points at a proxy or gateway |
| 2.1.275 | Sep 17, 2026 | Send-now key (ctrl+enter) to interrupt and send queued messages; skill/plugin sync from claude.ai |
| 2.1.274 | Sep 17, 2026 | Visible warning at critical memory usage; MCP connection-timeout env var |
| 2.1.273 | Sep 15, 2026 | MCP server disconnect notifications; forking sessions started with --remote-control |
| 2.1.272 | Sep 15, 2026 | Maintenance release |
| 2.1.271 | Sep 14, 2026 | Fast mode in Claude Code Remote sessions; mouse support in /config |
| 2.1.270 | Sep 12, 2026 | Fixed a regression where read-only git commands wrongly asked for permission |
| 2.1.269 | Sep 11, 2026 | claude plugin eval; /output-style [name]; Bash tool now includes a file diff in results |
| 2.1.268 | Sep 10, 2026 | Fixed every turn failing on third-party Anthropic-compatible endpoints (2.1.265 regression) |
This table covers the most recent releases as of this page's last update — check the official changelog for anything shipped after that.
How do I update Claude Code?
It depends entirely on how you installed it:
- Native install (
curl ... | bashor the PowerShell equivalent): auto-updates in the background. Claude Code checks for updates on startup and periodically while running; the new version takes effect the next time you start a session. - Homebrew: run
brew upgrade claude-codeorbrew upgrade claude-code@latest, matching whichever cask you installed. Homebrew does not auto-update by default. - WinGet: run
winget upgrade Anthropic.ClaudeCode. - npm: run
npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code@latest. Avoidnpm update -g— it respects the semver range from your original install and may not actually move you forward. - apt / dnf / apk: update through your normal system upgrade workflow for that package.
To force an update immediately on an install method that supports it, run:
claude update
It reports Successfully updated from <old version> to version <new version>, or Claude Code is up to date (<version>) if there's nothing new.
How do I install a specific Claude Code version?
Pass the version to the native installer:
curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash -s 2.1.89
The Windows PowerShell and CMD installers take the same version argument. claude --version afterward confirms you landed on exactly that build.
Does Claude Code require Node.js?
No. Claude Code ships as a native binary and doesn't invoke Node.js at runtime, regardless of install method. The npm install path (npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code) just uses npm as a distribution mechanism — it pulls down the same per-platform native binary through an optional dependency and links it into place. As of version 2.1.198, that npm package does require Node.js 22 or later to be present at install time; on an older Node version, npm install prints an EBADENGINE warning but still completes, and the installed claude command runs regardless. If you don't want a Node dependency in the loop at all, use the native curl/irm installer or a platform package manager instead.
What is the difference between the latest and stable release channels?
latest (the default) gives you every release the moment it ships. stable runs a version that's typically about a week old and skips releases known to have major regressions. Set it with autoUpdatesChannel in settings.json:
{
"autoUpdatesChannel": "stable"
}
Or change it interactively through /config → Auto-update channel, which will also prompt you to either stay on your current version or allow the downgrade when switching from latest to stable. Homebrew handles this differently — the channel is picked by which cask you install (claude-code for stable, claude-code@latest for latest), not by this setting.
Stop losing an afternoon to "which release broke this": the AgentsKit kits ship 181 slash commands, 89 agents, and 103 skills, version-tested as a set instead of assembled piecemeal from posts like this one. See what's included →
The mistake almost everyone makes
Assuming every install method keeps itself current the way the native installer does. It doesn't. If you installed Claude Code with Homebrew, WinGet, npm, or a Linux package manager, nothing updates it automatically — you can be months of fixes behind and not know it, because claude still runs fine on an old build. The AGENTS.md support in 2.1.277, the send-now key in 2.1.275, the auto mode billing change in 2.1.278 — none of that reaches you until you run the upgrade command for your specific install method.
The fix is either switching to the native installer, which does auto-update, or putting the relevant upgrade command (brew upgrade claude-code, npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code@latest, and so on) somewhere you'll actually run it — a weekly reminder, a dotfiles script, whatever survives contact with a busy week. Checking claude doctor occasionally is the cheapest way to catch a stale install before it costs you a feature you didn't know existed yet.