Working-folder sync on Linux listens for file changes instead of only polling
On Linux, working-folder sync now listens for file change notifications and falls back to polling; CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_WORKING_SYNC_WATCH turns this off
Under the hoodTier: how much it should matter to you
1Useful: my rating, 1 to 5
2Signal: worth watching, 1 to 5
PerformanceArea: what it touches
Internal ChangesKind: in v2.1.311,
Internal ChangesSection of the release
What
Claude Code has a sync loop that keeps track of changes in your working folder. Before, it only checked at a fixed interval, which is called polling. On Linux it now also asks the system to send a notification whenever something in the folder changes.
Before relying on those notifications, Claude Code tests them. It makes a small permission change on the folder and waits to see the notification arrive. If no notification comes, an error occurs, or a change is missed, it goes back to polling. Once the notifications prove reliable, it still polls, but less often.
This happens only on Linux, and only when CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_WORKING_SYNC_WATCH is not set. Setting that environment variable keeps the old polling-only behaviour.
Why
File syncing for remote sessions on Linux now reacts to changes as they happen instead of waiting for the next check. If it causes problems, CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_WORKING_SYNC_WATCH is the way to switch it off.
