Unclear It is not clear what idle time is used when the server sends no value, or whether idle release happens at all in that case.
What
A remote tools host is a separate machine that runs tools for a Claude Code session. Claude Code starts a helper program that talks to it. Several things changed:
CLAUDE_CODE_REMOTE_TOOLS_HOST_IDLE_RELEASE_MINUTESis now passed to the helper. Claude Code sets it from a whole number between 1 and a maximum, sent by Anthropic's servers. It is the number of idle minutes before the host is releasedCLAUDE_CODE_HOST_GUARDS_ARTIFACTS_MCPis now on the lists of environment variables passed through to the host- Claude Code now reads status lines from the helper during a session. They say whether the host is serving, and which tool calls are running or ran recently
- When the host stops because it was released, Claude Code first sends a request to end the session
- When the helper exits, Claude Code waits for all of its output to arrive before finishing
Why
An idle machine can give up its place instead of being held for the whole session. The status lines also let the model be told why a machine stopped serving.
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The writer flagged doubt
It is not clear what idle time is used when the server sends no value, or whether idle release happens at all in that case.