You'll noticeTier: how much it should matter to you
2Useful: my rating, 1 to 5
2Signal: worth watching, 1 to 5
Web SearchArea: what it touches
ImprovementsKind: in v2.1.295,
ImprovementsSection of the release
What
WebSearch is the tool Claude uses to search the web. It comes with written instructions that tell Claude how to use the results. Those instructions have always told Claude to finish its answer with a "Sources:" list of the links it used.
When the environment variable CLAUDE_CODE_WEBSEARCH_CITATIONS is set, Claude Code now changes those instructions. An environment variable is a setting you give a program from your shell before starting it. With it set:
the instruction to end with a "Sources:" list is removed
the request to include links as markdown hyperlinks is removed
the block marked as a critical requirement is removed
a different line takes their place
Without the variable, the instructions are unchanged; the stock WebSearch description captured under this release is the same as in v2.1.294.
Why
This prepares for sources to be attached to answers directly by the service, rather than being typed out by Claude at the end of each answer.
