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 v2.1.269 ·

New Windows shell launcher for PowerShell/cmd, switchable via env var

Bash commands on Windows can now run through a dedicated PowerShell/cmd launcher, on by default but switchable off

TierUse it nowhow much it should matter to you
Useful3my rating, 1 to 5
Signal2worth watching, 1 to 5
AreaWindows Shellwhat it touches
KindImprovementsin v2.1.269,
Group of 2 Use it now Notable

Bash commands on Windows can now run through a dedicated PowerShell/cmd launcher, on by default but switchable off

What

  • Bash tool subprocess spawning on Windows can now route through a dedicated PowerShell/cmd launcher, using fixed stdio and windowsVerbatimArguments settings, instead of the normal stdio setup. When the launcher's process id is resolved, a shell_windows_launcher telemetry event is recorded.
  • The launcher spawns PowerShell commands through a cmd.exe wrapper script that writes output to a temp file and sets the console codepage to UTF-8 (chcp 65001), instead of spawning PowerShell directly.
  • It is on by default via a feature-flag resolver but can be disabled with an environment variable (CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_WINDOWS_SHELL_LAUNCHER). If it fails, Claude Code falls back to spawning directly, with telemetry reasons such as flag_off, env_opt_out, cmd_unavailable, cmd_probe_timeout, and unsafe_shell_path.

Why This changes how Bash commands are executed on Windows to work around PowerShell spawning quirks, while keeping an escape hatch and fallback path for cases where the new launcher doesn't work.

How sure we are
One source agreesOne thing we can check says the same as this entry.
The name it cites is new in this buildNew in this build: tengu_parallel_trinket

See this entry in the whole of v2.1.269 →