{"version":"2.1.312","anchor":"artifacts-mcp-can-be-served-by-a-local-stub-and-host-guard-e","canonical_anchor":"artifacts-mcp-can-be-served-by-a-local-stub-and-host-guard-e","heading":"Artifacts tool setup and publishing checks change for desktop and Cowork","tier":"notice","area":"Artifacts","scope":"individual","heads_up":false,"url":"https:\/\/changelogs.core-directive.com\/v\/2.1.312\/e\/artifacts-mcp-can-be-served-by-a-local-stub-and-host-guard-e","release_url":"https:\/\/changelogs.core-directive.com\/v\/2.1.312","markdown":"### Artifacts tool setup and publishing checks change for desktop and Cowork\n\nArtifacts can run from a local server, `CLAUDE_CODE_HOST_GUARDS_ARTIFACTS_MCP` stops the desktop skip, and publishing obeys Read rules\n\n**What**\n\nThe Artifacts tool is provided through MCP (Model Context Protocol, the way Claude Code connects to extra tool servers). How Claude Code sets it up and checks publishing has changed:\n\n- It can now run the tool from a local server on your machine instead of Anthropic's web endpoint, and passes it the directories your Read permission rules cover.\n\n- Setting the environment variable `CLAUDE_CODE_HOST_GUARDS_ARTIFACTS_MCP` lets sessions running inside the desktop app keep the tool instead of skipping it, as they did before.\n\n- The tool is now skipped for a desktop share action, in place of the old skip for evaluation runs.\n\n- Publishing files is refused when one of your Read rules forbids reading a file being sent.\n\n- In Cowork, a publish that would need an approval card is refused, because no one there can answer the card.\n\n**Why**\n\nThis changes whether desktop and Cowork sessions get the Artifacts tool, and makes publishing respect the same Read rules as the rest of Claude Code.\n\n- Area: Artifacts\n- Tier: You'll notice\n- Useful: 2\/5\n- Signal: 3\/5\n- Scope: individual\n- Heads-up: no"}