Claude Code 2.1.302 Turns On Fork Subagents in SDK and Apps
TL;DR
- Fork subagents (subagent_type: "fork") now ship on by default in claude -p, the Agent SDK, the desktop app and VS Code; CLAUDE_CODE_FORK_SUBAGENT=0 turns them off.
- A new CLAUDE_CODE_AUTO_MODE_MODEL env var lets users pick the model for the client-side auto mode classifier, and /config gains an Idle compaction toggle.
- The release warns in /design-sync and /design-login that standalone Claude Design at claude.ai/design closes by December 14, 2026.
Fork subagents, which Claude Code already ran on by default in the terminal, now ship on by default in `claude -p`, the Agent SDK, the desktop app and VS Code too, per the v2.1.302 release notes posted by @ashwin-ant. The notes say `CLAUDE_CODE_FORK_SUBAGENT=0` "turns them off, and `claude mcp serve` never offers them."
The same build adds a `CLAUDE_CODE_AUTO_MODE_MODEL` variable "to choose the model the client-side auto mode classifier uses," and an `Idle compaction` row in `/config` for turning idle compaction off or back on. Prompt and agent hooks are now throttled so that "at most 12 of one event run at a time; the rest wait their turn." The Read tool was tightened in parallel: image sources over 128 MB are now refused rather than read entirely into memory.
A separate notice has been wired into `/design-sync` and `/design-login` telling users that standalone Claude Design at claude.ai/design "closes by December 14, 2026."
Originally reported by github.com
Read the original article →Original headline: Anthropic Ships Claude Code v2.1.302 With Official Plugin System and Fork Subagents On by Default