24 August 2026claude-code#claude-code#release#security#remote-control#self-hosted

Claude Code v2.1.238–2.1.241: safer plugins, stronger remote sessions, and runner controls

Four releases added safer plugin header helpers, more resilient Remote Control sessions, self-hosted runner controls, and fixes for proxies, MCP, and long-running work.

Claude Code moved from v2.1.237 to v2.1.241 between August 20 and August 23, 2026. The useful changes cluster around safer extension loading, more reliable remote and self-hosted sessions, and fewer failures in long-running or proxied environments.

Changes worth noticing

Safer plugin downloads: marketplace headersHelper commands can mint short-lived HTTP headers for catalog and same-origin archive fetches. Helpers now require trust approval in project MCP and agent configuration, and installs or updates ask for confirmation unless you pass -y.
Remote and self-hosted operations: self-hosted runners can defer shutdown, keep attached sessions alive during termination, and refresh proxy authorization headers per connection. Remote Control sessions recover better from transient HTTP 403s, reconnect failures, crashes, and expired logins.
MCP and permission reliability: MCP elicitation forms handle long URLs and tall terminal windows more reliably, stdio servers are no longer asked to discover before initialization, and project-local helper credentials are no longer inherited implicitly.
Session and cost fixes: long interactive sessions release old subagent results instead of growing memory without bound. Cost estimates now include the 1.1× US-only-inference premium for data-residency workspaces.
Developer workflow: keybindingFlavor: "readline" makes word-editing shortcuts behave more like Bash, /claude-api upgrade helps migrate Python projects from the 0.x SDK to 1.x, and new installs on previously excluded providers can use the fullscreen renderer.

What to do

Update Claude Code, then review plugin marketplace trust prompts, MCP helper configuration, and any self-hosted runner shutdown or proxy settings:

claude update

If you use the Python SDK through /claude-api, check the generated migration guidance before changing timeout handling. The release notes include many fixes; do not assume every provider, plan, or platform receives the same behavior.

Official Claude Code v2.1.238 release notes · v2.1.239 release notes · v2.1.241 release notes