You'll noticeTier: how much it should matter to you
3Useful: my rating, 1 to 5
1Signal: worth watching, 1 to 5
ConfigurationArea: what it touches
Bug FixesKind: in v2.1.318,
Bug FixesSection of the release
What
Claude Code keeps its settings in a config file, ~/.claude.json. When that file cannot be read, Claude Code now searches for the best backup copy and tells you what happened. If the file holds broken JSON, the message tells you to fix the JSON in the file or move the file aside to start with default settings.
If the file is empty and no backup holds anything, Claude Code starts with default settings. If no backup exists, it says so.
Why
A damaged config file is easier to recover from, and you are told plainly what Claude Code did with it.
How sure we are
One source agreesOne thing we can check says the same as this entry.
Anthropic's release notes agreeFixed retention cleanup leaving a home that only runs claude -p with no ~/.claude.json backup: it now takes a fresh backup before deleting…
