Claude Sonnet 5.5 is the default Sonnet
Claude Code v2.1.284 makes Sonnet 5.5 the default Sonnet
- Model
- claude-sonnet-5-5, on the Anthropic API
- Context
- 1M tokens
- Price
- $2 in · $10 out per Mtok · $0.20 cache reads
Claude Code now uses Claude Sonnet 5.5 as its default Sonnet model on the Anthropic API, with a 1 million token context window, at 2 dollars per million input tokens and 10 dollars per million output tokens.
01 Permissions and effort
>Permissions
and effort
Permissions and effort.
Auto mode by default everywhere
>Sessions on every plan and provider now start in auto mode
- Applies to
- interactive terminal and VS Code sessions
- When
- no permission mode is configured
- Override
- permissions.defaultMode
Interactive terminal and VS Code sessions now start in auto mode on every plan and provider when no permission mode is configured. The permissions default mode setting still overrides it.
Yes, but ask again next time
>Auto mode can allow one read outside your working directories
> Yes, but ask again next timeAuto mode asks before Claude reads outside your working directories. A new answer, yes, but ask again next time, allows that one read and still asks about later ones.
Ultracode is its own toggle
>Ultracode is now its own switch in /effort
/effort ultracode on
/effort ultracode off
Tab toggles it in the sliderUltracode used to force extra high effort. Now it is its own toggle in the effort menu, stays on at any effort level, and VS Code gets a matching switch.
02 Usage and spend
>Usage
and spend
Usage and spend.
Gateway spend limits in dollars
>Gateway spend limits now show in dollars
$271.40 / $500.00 spent this monthNeeds the Claude apps gateway on this version or later.
Behind a Claude apps gateway, the usage screen and the status line now show your spend limit in dollars. The gateway itself has to run this release or a later one.
Usage-limit notices
>Usage-limit notices point to commands you can find
- /rate-limit-options
- listed in /help for claude.ai subscribers
- Highest Max plan
- warnings point at /usage-credits instead of /upgrade
- Waiting at a limit
- state and countdown in one block
For claude.ai subscribers, the rate limit options command now appears in help. On the highest Max plan, limit warnings point to usage credits instead of an upgrade.
03 Retries and recovery
>Retries
and recovery
Retries and recovery.
Broken streams retry
>Damaged streams and server errors now retry
- Damaged response stream
- retried, or reported as interrupted
- Overload after thinking
- retried instead of ending the turn
- Still too long after compacting
- compacts once more
A damaged response stream could print a raw error or write the word undefined into an answer, and now it retries. So does an overload after thinking, and an oversized prompt gets compacted once more.
/mcp reconnect all
>/mcp reconnect all retries every failed server
- /mcp reconnect all
- failed and unauthenticated servers, at once
- Resumed session
- tool calls wait up to 10 s for a connecting server
- claude mcp add
- refuses when managed settings allow only plugin servers
In the terminal, /mcp reconnect all retries every server that failed to connect or needs sign-in, and a resumed session's tool call waits up to 10 seconds for its server.
04 Security and admins
>Security
and admins
Security and admins.
Memory, rules and plugins
>Memory files, rules and plugins get stricter checks
- MEMORY.md
- invisible characters and look-alike markup neutralized
- Symlinked .claude/rules
- asks for approval
- Plugin allowed-tools
- pre-approval kept only for trusted sources
Memory notes now neutralize invisible characters and tags that imitate Claude Code's own markup. Rules symlinked from outside the project ask for approval, and under strict managed rules only trusted plugin sources keep tool pre-approval.
Claude apps gateway
>Claude apps gateways can send telemetry to Google Cloud
- telemetry.forward_to
- auth: { google: {} } exports to Google Cloud’s OTLP endpoint
- Identity provider
- certificate client auth with private_key_jwt
- Many groups
- headers up to 256 KiB, no more 431 errors
Gateway admins can forward telemetry straight to Google Cloud with the gateway's own credentials, sign in to identity providers with certificates, and stop 431 errors for users in many groups.
05 In the terminal
>In the
terminal
In the terminal.
Rebindable effort keys, vim, fullscreen
>The /effort slider’s keys can now be rebound
- effortSlider:*
- decreaseEffort, increaseEffort, toggleUltracode
- Vim mode .
- repeats text typed fast over ssh or tmux
- Fullscreen
- scroll position holds when a reply finishes
The effort slider's arrow and Tab keys can now be rebound in your keybindings file. Vim mode's dot repeat catches text typed fast over SSH or tmux, and fullscreen keeps your scroll position.
Faster startup
>Startup is faster and uses less memory
Claude Code builds only the parts of the settings schema your settings files use.
Claude Code starts faster and uses less memory in this release, because it builds only the parts of the settings schema that your own settings files use.
06 VS Code and Claude Tag
>VS Code and
Claude Tag
VS Code and Claude Tag.
VS Code timestamps and plugins
>VS Code can show a time on every message
- Show Message Timestamps
- a time above each prompt and response, off by default
- Manage plugins
- load errors, with disable, uninstall or copy
- Escape
- leaves background agents running when no turn is active
The VS Code extension can now show a time above each prompt and response, with a date line when the day changes. It is off by default. Plugin load errors now appear in Manage plugins.
Opus (latest) in Claude Tag
>Claude Tag threads can follow the newest Opus
- Opus (latest)
- a model family choice that follows the newest model
- Set it for
- a thread, a channel default, or your DM
In Claude Tag, a thread, a channel default or your direct messages can now pick a model family such as Opus latest, so the choice moves to the newest model in that family.
The full changelog
Every change is in the Claude Code changelog
CHANGELOG.md in anthropics/claude-code
About 100 changes shipped in this release, from plugin settings screens to Windows paths. The full list is in the Claude Code changelog on GitHub.
