What probably matters to youSection of the release
Unclear The help text change implies broader applicability but does not confirm the flag's actual behavior changed in interactive mode.
What
The help text for the --fallback-model flag used to say '(only works with --print)', meaning it only applied when running Claude Code in headless mode via --print. That qualifier has been removed from the help output, suggesting the flag now also applies in normal interactive mode.
Why
If --fallback-model now works outside --print, it means an automatic backup model (used when the primary model is overloaded or unavailable) can kick in during regular interactive sessions too, not just scripted/headless runs.
The entry above is what we published on the day. These lines were added later, as Anthropic's own pages caught up, and they sit beside the original rather than replacing it.
Added sinceA small documentation edit on Week 22 · May 25–29, 2026 touched a line naming --fallback-model after this was published.<div>Claude Code now switches to your configured `--fallback-model` for the rest of the session when the primary model is not found, instead of failing every request</div>whats-new/2026-w22see the edit
Confirmed sinceAnthropic's documentation has since written up --fallback-model, on CLI reference.| `--fallback-model` | Enable automatic fallback to the specified model(s) when the primary model is overloaded or not available, for example a retired model. Accepts a comma-separated list tried in order. See [Fallback model chains](/docs…cli-referencesee the edit
How sure we are
Something disagreesSomething we can check disagrees with this entry, or the writer said they could not settle it.
The writer flagged doubtThe help text change implies broader applicability but does not confirm the flag's actual behavior changed in interactive mode.
Anthropic's documentation agreesAnthropic's documentation has since written up --fallback-model, on CLI reference.
