Under the hoodTier: how much it should matter to you
1Useful: my rating, 1 to 5
1Signal: worth watching, 1 to 5
MemoryArea: what it touches
Internal ChangesKind: in v2.1.287,
Internal ChangesSection of the release
What
Memory files are instruction files, such as CLAUDE.md, that Claude Code reads into the conversation. When it checks whether one of them has changed, it first works out which ones Claude already has in front of it. That list used to include only files Claude had read and memory files picked up from subfolders. It now also includes memory files Claude Code has announced to the model, checked against the instruction files that are actually loaded.
Two smaller changes come with it:
Hooks now receive details about background shells. Hooks are your own scripts that Claude Code runs at set moments, and a background shell is a command left running while Claude carries on with other work.
A notice about background shells now sits in a spot that previously held the hidden /plugin-types command.
Why
Claude Code is now more accurate about which memory files the model has already seen, so it is less likely to flag a memory file as needing attention when it is already loaded.
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 doubtIt is unclear whether the `/plugin-types` command was removed or only moved.
Anthropic's release notes agreeAdded You should know, a built-in mod where a side agent watches your back and flags things you or Claude might miss. Turn it on with…
