Claude Code v2.1.78 Released - Console Auth and Memory Optimization

Anthropic released Claude Code v2.1.78 on March 18, 2026. This version introduces console authentication support, memory optimization, and new features for the VSCode extension.

Key New Features

Console Authentication Support

Added --console flag to claude auth login command to enable authentication for Anthropic Console (API billing).

Configuration Option

Added “Show turn duration” toggle to the /config menu, allowing users to choose whether to display turn execution time.

Memory Optimization

Startup memory usage reduced by approximately 18MB across all scenarios.

Non-Streaming API Improvement

Added 2-minute per-attempt timeout for non-streaming API fallback, preventing sessions from hanging indefinitely.

Plugin Enhancement

CLAUDE_CODE_PLUGIN_SEED_DIR environment variable now supports multiple seed directories separated by platform path delimiter (: on Unix, ; on Windows).

VSCode Extension Features

/remote-control Command

New /remote-control command bridges your session to claude.ai/code, allowing you to continue conversations from a browser or phone.

AI-Generated Session Tab Titles

Session tabs now display AI-generated titles based on your first message.

Bug Fixes

Numerous bug fixes have been addressed:

• Fixed Ctrl+C not working in -p (print) mode
• Fixed /btw returning main agent’s output instead of answering side question when triggered during streaming
• Fixed voice mode not activating correctly on startup when voiceEnabled: true is set
• Fixed left/right arrow tab navigation in /permissions
• Fixed CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_TERMINAL_TITLE not preventing terminal title from being set on startup
• Fixed enterprise users being unable to retry on rate limit (429) errors
• Fixed SessionEnd hooks not firing when using interactive /resume to switch sessions
• Fixed -p hanging when spawned as a subprocess without explicit stdin (e.g., Python subprocess.run)
• Fixed voice mode not working on WSL2 with WSLg
• Fixed Bash tool not finding Homebrew and other PATH-dependent binaries when VS Code is launched from Dock/Spotlight
• Fixed washed-out Claude orange color in terminals that don’t advertise truecolor support
• Fixed --worktree flag not loading skills and hooks from the worktree directory

Security Fix

Fixed silent sandbox disable when sandbox.enabled: true is set but dependencies are missing — now shows a visible startup warning.

Source: GitHub Releases