Under the hoodTier: how much it should matter to you
1Useful: my rating, 1 to 5
0Signal: worth watching, 1 to 5
ElsewhereArea: what it touches
Internal ChangesKind: in v2.1.296,
Internal ChangesSection of the release
What
Two small internal changes:
Heartbeat timing: Claude Code now notes the time each heartbeat fires. A heartbeat is a regular signal that shows a process is still alive.
Cache clean-up: a clean-up loop for a cache of MCP server data stops as soon as the cache is back under its size limit. MCP servers are add-ons that give Claude extra tools.
Why
Both are behind-the-scenes robustness changes that you are unlikely to notice.
