Claude Code Version History

This comprehensive changelog tracks Claude Code’s rapid evolution since its preview launch in February 2025. Each version brings significant improvements based on user feedback and real-world usage patterns.

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Quick Navigation: Use Ctrl+F (or Cmd+F on Mac) to search for specific features or version numbers. Major releases are highlighted with special badges.

Version 1.0.x Series (Production)

July 2025 Updates

v1.0.54 - July 16, 2025

Major Improvements

• Hooks Enhancement: Added UserPromptSubmit hook with current working directory in hook inputs
• Slash Commands: Support for argument-hint field in custom command frontmatter
• Windows Improvements:
  • OAuth flow now uses port 45454 with correct browser URL construction
  • Mode-switching shortcut changed to Alt + M (fixing Shift+Tab conflict)
  • Plan mode renders properly in Windows terminals
• Shell Execution: In-memory shell snapshot prevents file-related errors

v1.0.53 - July 11, 2025

Game-Changing Update

• Context Expansion: @-mention file content limit increased from 100 to 2000 lines
• AWS Integration: Helper scripts for credential refresh:
  • awsAuthRefresh for SSO login operations
  • awsCredentialExport for background STS operations

v1.0.52 - July 10, 2025

• MCP Instructions: Support for Model Context Protocol server instructions
• Continued MCP integration improvements

v1.0.51 - July 8, 2025

Native Windows Support Launch

• Windows Native: Runs without WSL (Git for Windows required for Git features)
• Cloud Integration: Amazon Bedrock support via AWS_BEARER_TOKEN_BEDROCK
• Diagnostics: /doctor command identifies and fixes invalid configurations
• Interactive Mode: --append-system-prompt flag now works in interactive mode
• Performance: Auto-compaction threshold increased from 60% to 80%
• Telemetry: Enhanced OpenTelemetry metadata (OS, architecture, WSL version)
• Bug Fixes:
  • Directory names with spaces handled correctly
  • Custom commands in subdirectories register with proper namespacing
  • Plan mode rejection edge case resolved

v1.0.48 - July 7, 2025

Stability and UX Improvements

• Critical Fix: Resolved freeze-on-launch bug from v1.0.45
• Bash Tool UX: Real-time progress showing last 5 lines of output
• MCP Config: Environment variable expansion in server configs
• Shell Reliability: Snapshots moved to ~/.claude directory
• New Hook: PreCompact hook for pre-compaction actions
• Vim Mode: Extended keybindings (c, f/F, t/T motions)

v1.0.44-45 - July 3, 2025

Search and Export Features

• v1.0.44:
  • New /export command for conversation transcripts
  • MCP resource_link results display properly
  • Ctrl+Z now suspends (resume with fg)
  • Prompt undo remapped to Ctrl+U
• v1.0.45:
  • Search Tool Overhaul: Redesigned grep tool with new parameters
  • Jupyter notebook diff view disabled (prevents timeouts)
  • Atomic config writes prevent corruption
  • Hooks refinement: Stop vs SubagentStop events
  • Custom command namespacing restored

June 2025 Updates

v1.0.38 - June 30, 2025

Hooks System Introduction

• User-Defined Hooks: Inject custom behavior at lifecycle events
• Enables logging, approvals, and integrations
• Community-driven feature based on GitHub feedback
• Major extensibility expansion

v1.0.27 - June 18, 2025

Real-Time MCP Integration

• SSE Support: Server-Sent Events for MCP servers
• HTTP Transport: Additional transport option
• OAuth 2.0: Authentication for remote MCP servers
• Resource Syntax: @server:protocol://path for external data
• Live connections to external tool servers

v1.0.24-25 - June 25, 2025

Reliability Improvements

• v1.0.24:
  • Enhanced /mcp command formatting
  • Fixed array merging in nested settings
• v1.0.25:
  • Fixed: Slash commands not appearing/executing
  • Custom command discovery overhaul
  • Ghostty proxy compatibility
  • Web search reliability improvements

v1.0.23 - June 11, 2025

SDK Release

• Official SDKs Released:
  • TypeScript: @anthropic-ai/claude-code (NPM)
  • Python: claude-code-sdk (PyPI)
• Programmatic Claude Code integration
• Stream responses with query() method

v1.0.17-18 - June 9, 2025

Multi-Directory Support

• v1.0.17:
  • Sub-task messages in non-interactive mode
  • parent_tool_use_id for task correlation
  • VS Code diff tool crash fixes
  • Process title shows as claude
• v1.0.18:
  • --add-dir flag for additional directories
  • Streaming stdin support
  • CLAUDE_BASH_MAINTAIN_PROJECT_WORKING_DIR environment variable
  • SSE auto-reconnection for MCP servers

v1.0.10-11 - June 4, 2025

General Availability Features

• Access Expansion: Available to Pro and Max plans
• v1.0.10: Markdown table rendering support
• v1.0.11:
  • /upgrade command for plan switching
  • Enhanced authentication UI
  • Improved to-do list management

May 2025 Updates

v1.0.0 - May 22, 2025

General Availability Launch

• Status: Graduated from preview to supported product
• Models: Claude Opus 4 and Sonnet 4 integration
• Coincided with Claude 3.7 “Sonnet” model launch
• v1.0.1:
  • DISABLE_INTERLEAVED_THINKING flag option
  • Provider-specific model names in UI

Version 0.2.x Series (Beta/Preview)

May 2025 Beta Updates

v0.2.125 - May 21, 2025

Final Beta - Breaking Changes

• Bedrock ARN: Changed from %2F to literal /
• Logging: DEBUG=true replaced with ANTHROPIC_LOG=debug
• Preparation for GA release

v0.2.117 - May 20, 2025

• JSON Output: Changed to nested message objects (breaking change)
• Settings: cleanupPeriodDays configuration added
• Debug Mode: Global --debug flag introduced

v0.2.108 - May 18, 2025

Interactive Thinking

• Real-Time Steering: Send messages while Claude is “thinking”
• Bash Timeouts: BASH_DEFAULT_TIMEOUT_MS and BASH_MAX_TIMEOUT_MS
• Fixed thinking mode in non-interactive mode
• MCP wizard deprecated for dedicated commands

v0.2.105 - May 16, 2025

Web Browsing Capability

• Web Search: New fetch tool for URLs
• Status Command: /status replaces welcome message info
• Vim Motions: Word-level navigation (w, b, e)
• Performance optimizations for startup and file operations

v0.2.102 - May 14, 2025

• Thinking Mode: Improved reliability and triggers
• @-mentions: Better handling of images and directories
• Input: Multiple large text chunks can be pasted

v0.2.93 - May 1, 2025

Session Management

• Continue Sessions: claude --continue for recent session
• Resume by ID: claude --resume <ID> for specific sessions
• To-Do List: Internal task management for complex operations

April 2025 Beta Updates

v0.2.82 - April 25, 2025

• Permissions: --disallowedTools flag and config
• Tool Renaming: Clearer names (LSTool→LS, View→Read)

v0.2.75 - April 20, 2025

Major Interactivity Update

• Concurrent Queries: Queue messages while Claude is busy
• Image Support: Drag-and-drop or paste images
• @-mentions: Reference files directly in prompts
• MCP One-off: --mcp-config <path> flag
• Autocomplete: Performance improvements for large projects

v0.2.70 - April 15, 2025

• Network Tools: curl and similar commands unlocked
• Parallel Search: Multiple web queries simultaneously
• Interrupt: ESC key immediately stops Claude in auto-accept mode

March 2025 Beta Updates

v0.2.54 - March 25, 2025

• Memory: # prefix for persistent context
• Long Output: Ctrl+R reveals full tool output
• MCP SSE: Server-Sent Events transport support

v0.2.47 - March 15, 2025

Auto-Compaction & QoL

• Autocomplete: Tab completion for filenames
• Auto-Accept: Shift+Tab toggles file edit approvals
• Infinite Sessions: Automatic conversation compaction
• Configurable via /config interface

v0.2.44 - March 14, 2025

Thinking Mode Introduction

• Deep Reasoning: Triggered by “think” in prompts
• Step-by-step planning before execution
• “Think harder” and “ultrathink” variations

v0.2.34 - March 8, 2025

Vim Mode & Custom Commands

• Vim Keybindings: Toggle with /vim
• Custom Commands: .claude/commands/ directory support
• Normal and insert modes with hjkl navigation

February 2025

v0.2.0 - February 24, 2025

Research Preview Launch

• Initial Release: Agentic coding tool for terminal
• Core capabilities:
  • Codebase scanning and understanding
  • Intelligent code search
  • File editing with permissions
  • Test suite execution
  • Git operations (commit, push, branch)
  • Shell command execution
• Permission system for user control
• Internal testing: 45-minute tasks completed in one pass

Version Patterns & Release Cycle

Release Frequency

• Preview Phase: Multiple releases per week
• Post-GA: 2-3 releases per week average
• Hotfixes: Within 24-48 hours when needed

Version Numbering

• Major: Significant feature additions
• Minor: New capabilities and improvements
• Patch: Bug fixes and small enhancements

Breaking Changes

• Clearly marked in changelog
• Migration guides provided
• Rare after GA (v1.0.0)

Notable Feature Introductions Timeline

1. February 2025: Core CLI capabilities and permission system
2. March 2025: Vim mode, custom commands, thinking mode, auto-compaction
3. April 2025: Images, @-mentions, concurrent queries, network tools
4. May 2025: Web browsing, session management, GA launch with new models
5. June 2025: SDKs, Hooks system, real-time MCP, multi-directory support
6. July 2025: Native Windows, 2000-line context, enhanced AWS integration

Staying Updated

Check for Updates Run 'claude update' to get the latest version

View Release Notes Use '/release-notes' command within Claude Code

GitHub Releases Follow detailed releases on GitHub

Note

This changelog is maintained based on official release notes and community reports. For the most current information, always refer to the official Claude Code documentation and GitHub releases.