You'll noticeTier: how much it should matter to you
2Useful: my rating, 1 to 5
1Signal: worth watching, 1 to 5
SettingsArea: what it touches
ImprovementsKind: in v2.1.311,
ImprovementsSection of the release
What
Claude Code now leaves two kinds of file alone when it reads its setup files:
A .mcp.json file that is completely empty (zero bytes) is left out of the check Claude Code runs over its configuration files. Before, every listed file was checked.
A path pulled into CLAUDE.md loading that names a device or process file is skipped. CLAUDE.md is the file of instructions Claude Code reads at the start of a session. A device or process file is a special system path, such as one under /dev or /proc on Linux, that looks like a file but is not ordinary text. Claude Code logs a message saying it skipped the path because it names a device or process file.
Why
Reading a special system path can make a program wait forever. Skipping these paths stops CLAUDE.md loading from hanging on them.
How sure we are
One source agreesOne thing we can check says the same as this entry.
Anthropic's release notes agreeFixed a --plugin-dir folder of plugins loading as one plugin when an empty .mcp.json was at its top
