Large files in one read
Claude Code v2.1.296: Claude can read a large file in one call
allow_large on the Read tool
- Reads past
- the usual size limits for a text file
- When
- Claude needs the whole file and the context has room
Claude can now read a text file past the usual size limits in one call. The Read tool's new allow large option is for when Claude needs the whole file and the context has room.
Permission prompts
>Two commands that skipped the permission prompt now ask
- Bash
- commands that assign BASH_ARGV0 and then use it
- Git Bash on Windows
- rm -rf /c/Users/<name> in bypass permissions mode
Two commands that got past permission checks now ask first. Bash commands that set the BASH_ARGV0 variable and then use it, and on Windows, deleting a user's home folder from Git Bash in bypass permissions mode.
Subagents and workflows
>Subagents can compact sooner, and workflow agents can share one model
- Subagents
- autoCompactWindow compacts earlier than the main conversation
- Workflow agents
- CLAUDE_CODE_WORKFLOW_SUBAGENT_MODEL runs them all on one model
A subagent can now have its own auto compact window, so it compacts earlier than the main conversation. And a new environment variable runs every workflow agent on one model, while other subagents keep theirs.
Longer MCP descriptions
>MCP tool descriptions get twice the room
- Tool descriptions
- 2,048 → 4,096 characters
- Server instructions
- 2,048 → 4,096 characters
MCP servers get twice the room to describe themselves. The default limit on tool descriptions sent up front, and on server instructions, doubles from about two thousand to about four thousand characters.
Sonnet 5.5 cache reads
>Sonnet 5.5 cache reads now cost half as much in Claude Code's figures
- Was
- $0.20 per million tokens
- Now
- $0.10 per million tokens
- Where
- /cost, the status line, --max-budget-usd and the SDK
On Sonnet 5.5, Claude Code's cost figures for cache reads drop by half. The cost command, the status line, the max budget flag and the SDK price them at ten cents per million tokens.
HIPAA settings example
>A HIPAA settings example for managed Claude Code
- settings-hipaa.json
- sandboxed commands reach only hosts you list; local session data kept 30 days
- managed-mcp-hipaa.json
- turns MCP off
- Starting point
- your organization decides what its own environment needs
- Requires
- Claude Code 2.1.285 or later
Organizations with the HIPAA configuration get a sample managed settings file to start from. Sandboxed commands reach only listed hosts, local session data is kept thirty days, and a second file turns MCP off.
Three fixes
>Fixed: file encodings, long PowerShell commands, code review output
- Edit and NotebookEdit
- refuse files that aren't valid UTF-8 instead of replacing every non-ASCII character
- PowerShell on Windows
- allow rules apply to commands up to 32 KB, up from about 1 KB
- /code-review
- findings print as a numbered list, not a raw JSON array
Three fixes. The Edit tool now refuses files in encodings like Shift JIS instead of mangling them. PowerShell allow rules cover commands up to thirty-two kilobytes. And /code-review prints a numbered list, not raw JSON.
The full changelog
Every change is in the Claude Code changelog
https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code/blob/main/CHANGELOG.md
Nearly eighty changes shipped in this build, with fixes for hooks, plugins, Windows, the VS Code extension and Claude in Slack. Every one is in the Claude Code changelog on GitHub.
