Claude Code v2.1.84: PowerShell Support and Enhanced Workflow Management

Claude Code v2.1.84 brings exciting new capabilities for Windows users and significant improvements to workflow management. This release focuses on expanding platform support while delivering enhanced performance and stability across the board.

What’s New

PowerShell Tool for Windows

The highlight of this release is the addition of PowerShell tool support as an opt-in preview feature. Windows users can now leverage PowerShell’s full capabilities directly within Claude Code workflows. This opens up powerful automation possibilities for Windows environments and brings feature parity closer to Unix-based systems.

Enhanced Model Configuration

New environment variables provide granular control over model capabilities:

ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_{OPUS,SONNET,HAIKU}_MODEL_SUPPORTS for effort/thinking capability detection
_MODEL_NAME and _DESCRIPTION variables for custom model picker labels
Support for third-party providers including Bedrock, Vertex, and Foundry

Improved MCP Integration

Smart deduplication: When MCP servers are configured both locally and via claude.ai connectors, local configurations now take precedence
Size optimization: Tool descriptions and server instructions are capped at 2KB to prevent context bloat
Better caching: Fixed cache leaks on server reconnect for improved performance

Workflow and Hook Enhancements

New TaskCreated hook fires when tasks are created via TaskCreate
WorktreeCreate hook now supports type: "http" with worktree path output
Enhanced rules and skills with YAML list support for paths: frontmatter

User Experience Improvements

Smarter session management: Idle-return prompt after 75+ minutes suggests using /clear to reduce unnecessary token re-caching
Better token display: Counts ≥1M now show as “1.5m” instead of “1512.6k”
Deep link improvements: claude-cli:// links now open in your preferred terminal
Interactive prompt detection: Background bash tasks stuck on prompts now trigger notifications after ~45 seconds

Bug Fixes

Fixed voice push-to-talk character leaking and transcript positioning
Resolved arrow key responsiveness issues with focused footer items
Fixed Ctrl+U behavior at line boundaries in multiline input
Corrected workflow subagent failures with --json-schema
Multiple mouse event and UI rendering fixes

How to Update

To update to v2.1.84:

Via package manager: Use your preferred package manager’s update command
Manual download: Visit the release page and download the appropriate binary
Check PowerShell tool: Windows users can enable the PowerShell preview in settings
Review environment variables: Configure new model support variables if using third-party providers

After updating, restart Claude Code to ensure all new features are properly initialized.