Week 13 · March 23–27, 2026

Auto mode for hands-off permissions, computer use built in, PR auto-fix in the cloud, transcript search, and a PowerShell tool for Windows.

Releases v2.1.83 → v2.1.85 6 features · March 23–27

Auto mode research preview

Auto mode hands your permission prompts to a classifier. Safe edits and commands run without interrupting you; anything destructive or suspicious gets blocked and surfaced. It's the middle ground between approving every file write and running with --dangerously-skip-permissions.

Cycle to auto with Shift+Tab, or set it as your default:

{
  "permissions": {
    "defaultMode": "auto"
  }
}

Permission modes guide

Computer use Desktop

Claude can now control your actual desktop from the Claude Code Desktop app: open native apps, click through the iOS simulator, drive hardware control panels, and verify changes on screen. It's off by default and asks before each action. Best for the things nothing else can reach: apps without an API, proprietary tools, anything that only exists as a GUI.

Enable it in Settings, grant the OS permissions, then ask Claude to verify a change end to end:

Open the iOS simulator, tap through the onboarding flow, and screenshot each step

Computer use guide

PR auto-fix Web

Flip a switch when you open a PR and walk away. Claude watches CI, fixes the failures, handles the nits, and pushes until it's green. No more babysitting a PR through six rounds of lint errors.

After creating a PR on Claude Code web, toggle Auto fix in the CI panel.

Auto-fix pull requests

Transcript search v2.1.83

Press / in transcript mode to search your conversation. n and N step through matches. Finally a way to find that one Bash command Claude ran 400 messages ago.

Open transcript mode and search:

Ctrl+O    # open transcript
/migrate  # search for "migrate"
n         # next match
N         # previous match

Fullscreen guide

PowerShell tool preview v2.1.84

Windows gets a native PowerShell tool alongside Bash. Claude can run cmdlets, pipe objects, and work with Windows-native paths without translating everything through Git Bash.

Opt in from settings:

{
  "env": {
    "CLAUDE_CODE_USE_POWERSHELL_TOOL": "1"
  }
}

PowerShell tool docs

Conditional hooks v2.1.85

Hooks can now declare an if field using permission rule syntax. Your pre-commit check only spawns for Bash(git commit *) instead of every bash call, cutting the process overhead on busy sessions.

Scope a hook to git commits only:

{
  "hooks": {
    "PreToolUse": [{
      "hooks": [{
        "if": "Bash(git commit *)",
        "type": "command",
        "command": ".claude/hooks/lint-staged.sh"
      }]
    }]
  }
}

Hooks reference

Other wins

Plugin userConfig now public: prompt for settings at enable time, keychain-backed secretsPasted images insert [Image #N] chips you can reference positionallymanaged-settings.d/ drop-in directory for layered policy fragmentsCwdChanged and FileChanged hook events for direnv-style setupsAgents can declare initialPrompt in frontmatter to auto-submit a first turnCtrl+X Ctrl+E opens your external editor, matching readlineInterrupting before any response restores your input automatically/status now works while Claude is respondingDeep links open in your preferred terminal, not first-detectedIdle-return nudge to /clear after 75+ minutes awayVS Code: rate limit banner, Esc-twice rewind picker

Full changelog for v2.1.83–v2.1.85 →