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Sweep 27 Oct 2026 · 19:04Z Build v2.1.312 531 read Stable v2.1.308 Latest v2.1.312 Next v2.1.312 Feeds RSS JSON llms.txt llms-full.txt Unofficial

Claude Code v2.1.311 ·

Bash tool refuses to start a command already running in the background

If the same command in the same folder is already running in the background, the Bash tool now refuses to start it again and says where it is

You'll notice Improvements
JSON All of v2.1.311
You'll noticeTier: how much it should matter to you
3Useful: my rating, 1 to 5
1Signal: worth watching, 1 to 5
BashArea: what it touches
ImprovementsKind: in v2.1.311,
ImprovementsSection of the release

Unclear What the further check is, and so whether the refusal applies in a given session, is not clear.

What

The Bash tool runs shell commands for Claude. Before running one, it now checks whether the same command, in the same folder, was already moved to the background and is still running. If so, it does not start it and replies with a message beginning "Not started: this same command, in this directory, was moved to the background and has been running for", which gives the task ID and the file its output is written to.

This refusal only applies when the tool for stopping background tasks is available and a further check passes.

The Bash tool's own description also changed in this release: it now says a cd carries over to the next call only in the main session, when the command succeeds and ends inside the working directories.

Why

This stops Claude from launching a second copy of a long-running command by mistake. Instead it is pointed at the copy already running.

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 doubtWhat the further check is, and so whether the refusal applies in a given session, is not clear.

See this entry in the whole of v2.1.311 →

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