Claude docs changes for April 15th, 2026 [diff]

Executive Summary

• Routines (formerly "Cloud scheduled tasks") is a new cloud automation feature: saved Claude Code configurations that run on a schedule, via API call, or in response to GitHub events — documented in a new dedicated page
• Claude Desktop v1.2581.0 brings a major UI overhaul: drag-and-drop workspace layout, integrated terminal, file editor pane, side chats, tasks pane, new keyboard shortcuts, and the ability to change models mid-session
• Claude Sonnet 4 and Opus 4 deprecated: both claude-sonnet-4-20250514 and claude-opus-4-20250514 are now deprecated with a retirement date of June 15, 2026; migrate to Sonnet 4.6 and Opus 4.6
• New CLAUDE_CODE_SKIP_PROMPT_HISTORY env var lets you skip writing prompt history and session transcripts to disk in any mode (previously only possible in non-interactive mode)
• Refusal fallback model updated: docs now recommend Haiku 4.5 (not Sonnet 4) as an alternative when encountering frequent refusal stop reasons with Sonnet 4.5 or Opus 4.1

New Claude Code versions

2.1.108

New features

• Added ENABLE_PROMPT_CACHING_1H env var to opt into 1-hour prompt cache TTL on API key, Bedrock, Vertex, and Foundry (ENABLE_PROMPT_CACHING_1H_BEDROCK is deprecated but still honored), and FORCE_PROMPT_CACHING_5M to force 5-minute TTL
• Added recap feature to provide context when returning to a session, configurable in /config and manually invocable with /recap; force with CLAUDE_CODE_ENABLE_AWAY_SUMMARY if telemetry is disabled
• The model can now discover and invoke built-in slash commands like /init, /review, and /security-review via the Skill tool
• /undo is now an alias for /rewind
• Added "verbose" indicator when viewing the detailed transcript (Ctrl+O)
• Added a warning at startup when prompt caching is disabled via DISABLE_PROMPT_CACHING* environment variables

Existing feature improvements

• Improved /model to warn before switching models mid-conversation, since the next response re-reads the full history uncached
• Improved /resume picker to default to sessions from the current directory; press Ctrl+A to show all projects
• Improved error messages: server rate limits are now distinguished from plan usage limits; 5xx/529 errors show a link to status.claude.com; unknown slash commands suggest the closest match
• Reduced memory footprint for file reads, edits, and syntax highlighting by loading language grammars on demand

Major bug fixes

• Fixed paste not working in the /login code prompt (regression in 2.1.105)
• Fixed subscribers who set DISABLE_TELEMETRY falling back to 5-minute prompt cache TTL instead of 1 hour
• Fixed Agent tool prompting for permission in auto mode when the safety classifier's transcript exceeded its context window
• Fixed Bash tool producing no output when CLAUDE_ENV_FILE (e.g. ~/.zprofile) ends with a # comment line
• Fixed claude --resume <session-id> losing the session's custom name and color set via /rename
• Fixed diacritical marks (accents, umlauts, cedillas) being dropped from responses when the language setting is configured
• Fixed Remote Control session titles set in the web UI being overwritten by auto-generated titles after the third message
• Fixed policy-managed plugins never auto-updating when running from a different project than where they were first installed

2.1.109

Existing feature improvements

• Improved the extended-thinking indicator with a rotating progress hint

Claude Code changes

New Documents

Routines [Source]

New document covering the Routines feature (research preview): saved Claude Code configurations — a prompt, repositories, and connectors — that run unattended on Anthropic-managed cloud infrastructure. Covers three trigger types (schedule, API, GitHub events), how to create and manage routines from the web/CLI/Desktop app, filter options for GitHub triggers, and usage/limits. Routines are available on Pro, Max, Team, and Enterprise plans with Claude Code on the web enabled.

Changed documents

Claude Code on the web [Source]

• References to "Cloud scheduled tasks" page replaced with the new Routines page, which covers schedule, API, and GitHub event triggers. [line 30] [Source]

The .claude directory [Source]

• The new CLAUDE_CODE_SKIP_PROMPT_HISTORY environment variable can now skip writing transcripts and prompt history in any mode (interactive or not), replacing the previous non-interactive-only --no-session-persistence approach. [line 202] [Source]

Commands [Source]

• /branch description clarified: branching now explicitly "preserves the original" conversation so you can return to it with /resume. [line 15] [Source]
• /schedule now points to the Routines page. [line 66] [Source]

Common workflows [Source]

• Extended thinking progress: progress hints now appear below the thinking indicator to show Claude is actively working. [line 531] [Source]
• Scheduling options table updated: "Cloud scheduled tasks" replaced with "Routines", which can also trigger on API calls or GitHub events, and the URL updated to claude.ai/code/routines. [line 931] [Source]

Desktop quickstart [Source]

• Desktop app description updated to highlight the new sidebar, drag-and-drop layout, and integrated terminal/file editor. [line 1] [Source]
• Model can now be changed after the session starts (previously locked at session start). [line 69] [Source]
• New tip: Arrange your workspace — drag panes (chat, diff, terminal, file, preview) into any layout; open terminal with `Ctrl+``. [line 28] [Source]
• Updated "Scale up" section to mention the new tasks pane for watching subagents and a new side chat feature. [line 31] [Source]

Desktop scheduled tasks [Source]

• "Cloud scheduled tasks" references replaced with "Routines" throughout; added note that routines can also trigger on API calls or GitHub events. [lines 43-72] [Source]

Use Claude Code Desktop [Source]

• Requires Claude Desktop v1.2581.0 or later for new workspace features. [line 20] [Source]
• Model can now be changed mid-session from the same dropdown (previously locked after session start). [line 29] [Source]
• Preview pane can now open static HTML files, PDFs, and images — click any such path in the chat to open it. [line 122] [Source]
• Auto-archive: sessions can now archive themselves automatically when their PR merges or closes. [line 131] [Source]
• New Arrange your workspace section: drag-and-drop panes (chat, diff, preview, terminal, file, plan, tasks, subagent); integrated terminal (`Ctrl+``); file pane with inline editing; right-click context menu for file paths; view modes (Normal / Verbose / Summary); full keyboard shortcut table. [lines 136-198] [Source]
• New Ask a side question without derailing the session section: side chats (Cmd+; / Ctrl+;) that read session context but don't add to the main thread. [line 224] [Source]
• New Watch background tasks section: tasks pane shows subagents, shell commands, and workflows running in the current session. [line 228] [Source]
• Parallel sessions: new keyboard shortcut Cmd+N / Ctrl+N for new session and Ctrl+Tab to cycle through sessions. [line 213] [Source]
• Policy-managed plugins are now available in Desktop sessions the same way they are in the CLI. [line 248] [Source]
• SSH sessions now explicitly require Linux or macOS on the remote machine. [line 257] [Source]
• Enterprise: Desktop now supports Vertex AI and gateway providers via managed settings (not just Anthropic's API directly). [line 300] [Source]
• --verbose CLI flag equivalent is now the Verbose view mode in the Transcript view dropdown. [line 282] [Source]

Environment variables [Source]

• New CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_VIRTUAL_SCROLL env var: disables virtual scrolling in fullscreen rendering if blank regions appear. [line 321] [Source]
• New CLAUDE_CODE_MAX_CONTEXT_TOKENS env var: override the context window size assumed for the active model (only takes effect when DISABLE_COMPACT is also set; useful for gateway routing). [line 329] [Source]
• New CLAUDE_CODE_SKIP_PROMPT_HISTORY env var: skip writing prompt history and session transcripts to disk in any mode; sessions started with this won't appear in --resume, --continue, or up-arrow history. [line 337] [Source]

Index / Overview [Source]

• Improved Windows installation error message: added detection for 'irm' is not recognized (CMD vs PowerShell disambiguation). [line 39] [Source]
• "Cloud scheduled tasks" replaced with "Routines" (can also trigger on API calls or GitHub events). [line 146] [Source]

Plugins reference [Source]

• Glob and Grep tools now skip orphaned plugin version directories during searches, so results don't include outdated plugin code. [line 470] [Source]

Plugins [Source]

• The name field in SKILL.md frontmatter is no longer required; only description is needed. [line 203] [Source]

Settings [Source]

• cleanupPeriodDays description updated to reference CLAUDE_CODE_SKIP_PROMPT_HISTORY as the cross-mode way to disable transcripts. [line 157] [Source]
• New minimumVersion setting: prevents the auto-updater from downgrading below a specific version; automatically set when switching to the stable channel. [line 184] [Source]

API changes

New Documents

Trigger a routine via API [Source]

New experimental API reference for triggering a Claude Code routine via HTTP (POST /v1/claude_code/routines/{routine_id}/fire). Documents authentication (per-routine bearer tokens, not API keys), request/response shapes, error codes, rate limits, and differences from the standard Claude Platform API surface. Requires the anthropic-beta: experimental-cc-routine-2026-04-01 header.

Changed documents

Model deprecations [Source]

• claude-sonnet-4-20250514 and claude-opus-4-20250514 are now deprecated as of April 14, 2026, with retirement scheduled for June 15, 2026. Recommended replacements: claude-sonnet-4-6 and claude-opus-4-6 respectively. [lines 68-77] [Source]

Claude on Amazon Bedrock [Source]

• Claude Sonnet 4 and Claude Opus 4 marked with ⚠️ deprecation indicator in the model table. [lines 76-80] [Source]

Claude on Vertex AI [Source]

• Claude Sonnet 4 and Claude Opus 4 marked with ⚠️ deprecation indicator in the model table. [lines 63-67] [Source]

Handling stop reasons [Source]

• Updated recommendation for frequent refusal stop reasons: now suggests Haiku 4.5 (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) instead of Sonnet 4 (which is deprecated). [line 291] [Source]

Managed agents — Files [Source]

• CLI tab added to the code examples for mounting files and listing/downloading session files. [lines 55-100] [Source]

Release notes overview [Source]

• April 14, 2026 entry added: deprecation of Claude Sonnet 4 and Claude Opus 4, retiring June 15, 2026. [lines 9-11] [Source]

CLI SDK reference [Source]

• --environment flag renamed to --environment-id in the sessions create command examples. [lines 203-372] [Source]

Handle streaming refusals [Source]

• Updated alternative model recommendation for refusal stop reasons: now Haiku 4.5 instead of Sonnet 4 (deprecated). [line 36] [Source]