Sweep 19 Sep 2026 · 02:36Z Build v2.1.278 500 read Stable v2.1.267 Latest v2.1.278 Next v2.1.278 Feeds RSS JSON llms.txt Unofficial
Claude Code v2.1.267 ·

File-encoding problem reporting for reads (UTF-16LE/UTF-8 detection + replacement-char and undecodable diagnostics)

File reads now detect encoding problems and report exactly where a broken or undecodable character occurs

TierYou'll noticehow much it should matter to you
Useful3my rating, 1 to 5
Signal2worth watching, 1 to 5
AreaFile Readingwhat it touches
KindImprovementsin v2.1.267,
You'll notice

File reads now detect encoding problems and report exactly where a broken or undecodable character occurs

What

When Claude Code reads a file, new internal logic detects the file's text encoding (distinguishing UTF-16LE from UTF-8 by checking for a byte-order mark), then scans for the first replacement character (the symbol that appears when a byte sequence can't be properly decoded as text) or the first byte that can't be decoded at all. If either is found, the read now returns a structured result identifying the problem kind, the encoding, and the exact line and column where it occurs, instead of just returning garbled text.

Why

This gives clearer diagnostics when a file has encoding issues, pinpointing exactly where the problem is rather than leaving Claude (or the user) to guess why a file's contents look corrupted.

See this entry in the whole of v2.1.267 →