Claude docs changes for May 13th, 2026 [diff]

Executive Summary

  • Fast mode now supports Claude Opus 4.7 (in addition to Opus 4.6), with Opus 4.7 becoming the default fast mode model on May 14, 2026
  • New Task tools (TaskCreate, TaskGet, TaskUpdate, TaskList) introduced as the future replacement for TodoWrite, available via CLAUDE_CODE_ENABLE_TASKS=1
  • The MCP documentation was overhauled: the large list of third-party servers was removed and replaced with a pointer to the Anthropic Directory
  • Agent view received significant improvements: PR status dots, model override per session, new keyboard shortcuts, and expanded troubleshooting
  • Agent SDK clarified that settings/hooks load only from <cwd>/.claude/ while CLAUDE.md/rules/skills load hierarchically up to the repo root

New Claude Code versions

2.1.140

Existing feature improvements

  • Improved Agent tool subagent_type matching to accept case- and separator-insensitive values (e.g. "Code Reviewer" resolves to code-reviewer)
  • Updated agent color palette
  • Plugins now warn when a default component folder is silently ignored because plugin.json sets the matching key — shown in /doctor, claude plugin list, and /plugin

Major bug fixes

  • Fixed /goal silently hanging when disableAllHooks or allowManagedHooksOnly is set — now shows a clear message
  • Fixed a regression in settings hot-reload where symlinked settings files caused misattributed change events and spurious ConfigChange hooks
  • Fixed claude --bg failing with "connection dropped mid-request" when the background service was about to idle-exit
  • Fixed background service startup failing on machines with enterprise endpoint security
  • Fixed remote managed settings not retrying on 401 — now retries once with a force-refreshed token
  • Fixed managed extraKnownMarketplaces auto-update policy not being persisted to known_marketplaces.json
  • Fixed /loop scheduling redundant wakeups to poll for background tasks that already notify on completion
  • Fixed a recurring event-loop stall on Windows when a missing executable triggered synchronous where.exe re-spawns
  • Fixed Read tool calls failing validation when offset is passed as a whitespace-padded or +-prefixed string
  • Fixed native terminal cursor not staying at the input caret when the terminal loses focus

Claude Code changes

Changed documents

agent-sdk/claude-code-features [Source]

  • Clarified that settings.json and hooks load only from <cwd>/.claude/ with no parent-directory fallback, while CLAUDE.md/rules load from <cwd> and every parent directory, and skills load up to the repository root. [line 44] [Source]
  • CLAUDE.local.md is no longer labeled as "gitignored"; settings.local.json loads only from <cwd>/.claude/. [line 47] [Source]

agent-sdk/modifying-system-prompts [Source]

  • New decision table added for choosing between the claude_code preset, preset with append, custom prompt, or no system prompt, with explicit criteria for each use case.
  • excludeDynamicSections now specifies it removes "git-repo flag" rather than "git status" from dynamic content.
  • Clarified that CLAUDE.md is injected as a user message (not system prompt), so it does not affect system prompt caching.
  • New note: Python SDK does not support the outputStyle option programmatically.
  • Output style activation updated: TypeScript SDK now supports options.outputStyle parameter; Python SDK does not.

agent-sdk/python [Source]

  • TodoWrite marked as deprecated; new Task tools (TaskCreate, TaskUpdate, TaskGet, TaskList) documented as replacements, opt-in via CLAUDE_CODE_ENABLE_TASKS=1. [~line 870]
  • Full type definitions and behavior documented for all four Task tools, including that TaskCreate returns the assigned task ID in its output (not in the input).

agent-sdk/skills [Source]

  • Skills now load from .claude/skills/ in <cwd> and every parent directory up to the repository root (not just <cwd>/.claude/skills/). [line 23] [Source]

agent-sdk/todo-tracking [Source]

  • New notice: TodoWrite is the current default; Task tools are opt-in via CLAUDE_CODE_ENABLE_TASKS=1 and will become the default in a future release.
  • New "Migrate to Task tools" section with comparison table and code examples for adapting monitoring code to TaskCreate/TaskUpdate tool-use blocks. [~line 113]

agent-sdk/typescript [Source]

  • New options.outputStyle parameter added to query() Options: activates a named output style for the session. [~line 390]
  • options.managedSettings updated: dropped by default when admin-deployed managed tier is present; can be merged under that tier via parentSettingsBehavior: "merge", but can only tighten, not loosen, managed policy. [~line 324]
  • TodoWrite deprecated with pointer to Task tools; complete TypeScript type definitions for all four Task tools added (not yet exported from the SDK).

agent-sdk/user-input [Source]

  • New permission callback response: "Approve and remember" — returns a PermissionUpdate in updatedPermissions to persist the rule, skipping the prompt in future sessions. [~line 156]
  • Third callback argument now includes a suggestions array of ready-made PermissionUpdate entries; destination: "localSettings" writes to .claude/settings.local.json.
  • Python example requires claude-agent-sdk 0.1.80 or later.

agent-teams [Source]

  • Teammates no longer inherit the lead's /model selection by default. New Default teammate model setting in /config controls this; pick Default (leader's model) to have teammates follow the lead's model. [line 119] [Source]

agent-view [Source]

  • Pull request status dot column added to session rows: color-coded yellow (waiting/failed), green (checks passed), purple (merged), grey (draft/closed); shows count for sessions with multiple PRs.
  • Ctrl+R documented for renaming sessions in the organize-the-list section.
  • New section "Set the model" explains how to override the model for an individual background session via --model, /model, or subagent frontmatter.
  • Deleting a session now explicitly cleans up its worktree including uncommitted changes (transcript remains on disk).
  • New troubleshooting entries: claude agents listing subagents (fix: claude update), "Cannot open agents because background tasks are running" (use /tasks then /bg), and "Prompt rejected as too short" (minimum 4 characters).
  • Worktree auto-cleanup condition now requires no uncommitted changes, no untracked files, and no unpushed commits; named sessions prompt instead of auto-removing.

cli-reference [Source]

  • --exclude-dynamic-system-prompt-sections description updated: "git-repo flag" replaces "git status" in the list of removed sections. [~line 67]
  • Guidance expanded for --append-system-prompt vs. --system-prompt: append for extra rules on a coding assistant; replace for different surface/identity/permission models. [~line 123]

claude-code-on-the-web [Source]

  • Clarified GitHub authentication model: a cloud session can access any repo the connected GitHub account can see; GitHub App installation is only required for Auto-fix PR webhooks. [~line 30]
  • New: to stop Auto-fix monitoring on a PR, clear the Auto-fix toggle in the CI status bar or tell Claude to stop.

commands [Source]

  • /exit behavior updated: in an attached background session it now detaches and keeps the session running rather than exiting. [~line 50]

data-usage [Source]

  • DO_NOT_TRACK added as a third variable (alongside DISABLE_TELEMETRY and CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_NONESSENTIAL_TRAFFIC) that disables the feedback survey. [~line 31]
  • New opt-back-in: CLAUDE_CODE_ENABLE_FEEDBACK_SURVEY_FOR_OTEL=1 routes survey ratings to an organization's own OpenTelemetry collector instead of Anthropic.

discover-plugins [Source]

  • Administrators can set "autoUpdate": true on extraKnownMarketplaces entries in managed settings to enable auto-update for an organization marketplace without requiring each user to toggle it. [~line 343]

env-vars [Source]

  • New variable CLAUDE_CODE_ENABLE_OPUS_4_7_FAST_MODE: opts in to run fast mode on Opus 4.7; Opus 4.7 becomes the default on May 14, 2026.
  • New variable CLAUDE_CODE_OPUS_4_6_FAST_MODE_OVERRIDE: forces fast mode to stay on Opus 4.6, takes precedence over CLAUDE_CODE_ENABLE_OPUS_4_7_FAST_MODE.
  • New variable CLAUDE_CODE_RESUME_PROMPT: overrides the continuation message injected when resuming a mid-turn session; default is Continue from where you left off.
  • New variable CLAUDE_CODE_ENABLE_FEEDBACK_SURVEY_FOR_OTEL: routes session quality survey ratings to an OpenTelemetry collector when Anthropic-bound traffic is blocked.
  • DISABLE_TELEMETRY now also disables feature flags, potentially making some rolling-out features unavailable.

fast-mode [Source]

  • Fast mode now supports both Opus 4.6 and Opus 4.7; on May 14, 2026, Opus 4.7 becomes the default fast mode model (requires v2.1.139+).
  • New section "Use fast mode on Opus 4.7" with opt-in instructions via CLAUDE_CODE_ENABLE_OPUS_4_7_FAST_MODE=1.
  • To pin fast mode to Opus 4.6: set CLAUDE_CODE_OPUS_4_6_FAST_MODE_OVERRIDE=1. Both Opus versions share the same rate limit pool.
  • Rate limit fallback now falls back to standard speed on the same Opus version.

goal [Source]

  • /goal is now unavailable when disableAllHooks is set at any settings level (previously only checked managed policy). [~line 116]

mcp [Source]

  • The entire "Popular MCP servers" section listing ~80+ third-party servers with install commands has been removed.
  • Replaced with a short "Find and build MCP servers" section pointing to the Anthropic Directory; any remote server there can be added with claude mcp add. [~line 20]
  • New: the official mcp-server-dev plugin is referenced for scaffolding your own MCP server.

model-config [Source]

  • Clarified that Sonnet with 1M context is not part of the automatic plan upgrade — it requires extra usage on every subscription plan including Max. [~line 216]

monitoring-usage [Source]

  • New OTEL event claude_code.feedback_survey documented: logged when a session quality survey appears or is answered, with attributes for event_type, appearance_id, survey_type, response, and enabled_via_override. [~line 837]

output-styles [Source]

  • Added clarification distinguishing output styles (replace system prompt engineering sections, use for different identity), CLAUDE.md (injected as user message, keeps coding identity), and --append-system-prompt (appends without removing). [~line 111]

permissions [Source]

  • echo, pwd, and which added to the built-in read-only command set. [~line 127]
  • Clarified that hooks and settings.json keys from --add-dir directories only load from <cwd>/.claude/ with no parent-directory fallback. [~line 264]
  • Embedding hosts can supply additional managed policy via SDK managedSettings with parentSettingsBehavior: "merge"; embedder values can tighten but not loosen policy. [~line 324]

plugins [Source]

  • --plugin-dir flag now also accepts a .zip archive of the plugin directory; requires Claude Code v2.1.128 or later. [~line 292]

plugins-reference [Source]

  • New warning in v2.1.140: when a plugin has both a default component folder and the matching manifest key, the ignored folder is flagged in /doctor, claude plugin list, and /plugin. [~line 486]
  • --yes flag for plugin uninstall and plugin prune now triggers when stdin or stdout is not a TTY (previously only stdin). [~line 735]

routines [Source]

  • Clarified that locally-added MCP servers (claude mcp add) are not connectors; to use them in routines, add them as a connector at claude.ai/customize/connectors or declare them in a committed .mcp.json. [~line 292]

sandboxing [Source]

  • New fix for Ubuntu 24.04+ AppArmor blocking bubblewrap: instructions to create an AppArmor profile for bwrap and reload AppArmor. [~line 81]

security [Source]

  • Updated: Anthropic now reviews connectors against listing criteria before adding them to the Anthropic Directory, but does not security-audit or manage individual MCP servers. [~line 80]

server-managed-settings [Source]

  • New as of v2.1.139: claude auth subcommands are exempt from the forceRemoteSettingsRefresh fail-closed check, allowing re-authentication when expired credentials cause the settings fetch to fail. [~line 161]

settings [Source]

  • New setting teammateDefaultModel: controls the default model for agent team teammates; set to a model alias or null to inherit the lead's model. [~line 247]
  • worktree.sparsePaths description updated: "Only the listed directories plus root-level files are written to disk" (removed "cone mode" wording). [~line 257]
  • extraKnownMarketplaces entries now accept an optional autoUpdate Boolean to enable auto-update for that marketplace. [~line 641]
  • Settings precedence updated: embedding hosts can supply policy via managedSettings with parentSettingsBehavior: "merge"; embedder values can tighten but not loosen admin policy. [~line 491]

skills [Source]

  • Project skills now load from .claude/skills/ in the starting directory and in every parent directory up to the repository root (previously only the starting directory). [~line 91]

tools-reference [Source]

  • TodoWrite marked as deprecated in favor of TaskCreate, TaskGet, TaskList, TaskUpdate; interactive sessions already use Task tools by default; claude -p and Agent SDK still use TodoWrite by default — set CLAUDE_CODE_ENABLE_TASKS=1 to switch. [~line 44]

web-quickstart [Source]

  • Troubleshooting updated: GitHub App installation is not required for repository access; only the connected GitHub account needs access. App installation is only needed for Auto-fix. [~line 186]

worktrees [Source]

  • Worktree cleanup condition on exit now requires no uncommitted changes, no untracked files, and no new commits; named sessions prompt instead of auto-removing. [~line 79]
  • Removing a worktree now also discards untracked files.

API changes

Changed documents

build-with-claude/fast-mode [Source]

  • Fast mode now supports Claude Opus 4.7 in addition to Opus 4.6; code examples updated to use claude-opus-4-7. [line 12] [Source]
  • Supported models consideration updated: fast mode is no longer Opus 4.6 only. [line 165] [Source]

managed-agents/agent-setup [Source]

  • Fast mode example updated to use claude-opus-4-7; notes that both Opus 4.6 and Opus 4.7 support fast mode. [line 36] [Source]