What
The working directory is the folder a session runs its commands in. This release changes what happens when that folder is deleted while a session is using it.
- Bash commands: if the shell's working directory has been deleted and the session is pinned to it, the Bash tool (which runs shell commands for Claude) no longer quietly moves to a fallback directory. It returns an error instead: "Working directory ... no longer exists, so shell commands cannot run until it is restored." Before, it logged "Shell CWD … no longer exists, recovering to" and switched directories.
- Headless turns: in headless mode (the SDK or print mode, where Claude Code runs without the interactive screen), a turn that starts after the directory has disappeared no longer fails. The turn stays pinned to the missing path and logs "working directory … no longer exists; the turn starts pinned to it". Once per session, it tells you: "The session's working directory ... no longer exists; shell commands cannot start there and relative file paths that use it will fail until it is restored." The message names the path except in some cases.
Why
Commands no longer quietly run in a different folder than the one you expected, which could have changed or created files in the wrong place. For SDK and print-mode runs, deleting the folder no longer ends the turn. Instead you get a clear warning, and shell commands and relative paths won't work until the folder is restored.
Something disagreesSomething we can check disagrees with this entry, or the writer said they could not settle it.
The writer flagged doubt
The finding does not say how a session becomes pinned to a directory.
Anthropic's release notes agree
Improved screen-reader output in /mcp: a disabled server is read as "off" instead of "pending"