Claude Code v2.1.83 Released - --bare Flag and Windows Streaming Changes

Anthropic released Claude Code v2.1.83 on March 22, 2026. This version includes the —bare flag for scripted -p calls, —channels permission relay, and disabled line-by-line streaming on Windows, along with 20+ other changes.

Key New Features

—bare Flag for Scripted -p Calls

A new --bare flag for -p (print) mode has been added. When used, it skips hooks, LSP, plugin sync, and skill directory walks. It requires ANTHROPIC_API_KEY or an apiKeyHelper via --settings, with OAuth and keychain authentication disabled and auto-memory fully disabled.

—channels Permission Relay

The --channels flag (research preview) allows channel servers that declare the permission capability to forward tool approval prompts to your phone.

Windows Line-by-Line Streaming Disabled

Line-by-line response streaming has been disabled on Windows (including WSL in Windows Terminal) due to rendering issues.

Other Changes

Authentication & Sessions

Fixed an issue where multiple concurrent Claude Code sessions required repeated re-authentication when one session refreshed its OAuth token.

Voice Mode

Fixed voice mode silently swallowing retry failures and showing a misleading “check your network” message instead of the actual error. Also fixed voice mode audio not recovering when the server silently drops the WebSocket connection.

Security Fix

Fixed CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_EXPERIMENTAL_BETAS not suppressing the structured-outputs beta header, causing 400 errors on proxy gateways forwarding to Vertex/Bedrock.

Performance & Memory

Saved approximately 80MB of memory usage on startup in large repositories (250k files). Improved startup memory usage by ~18MB across all scenarios.

Plugin Improvements

Ref-tracked plugins now re-clone on every load to pick up upstream changes.

VSCode Extension

Fixed Windows PATH inheritance for Bash tool when using Git Bash (regression in v2.1.78).

Complete Changelog

• Added —bare flag for scripted -p calls
• Added —channels permission relay
• Fixed multiple concurrent Claude Code sessions requiring repeated re-authentication
• Fixed voice mode silently swallowing retry failures
• Fixed voice mode audio not recovering when server drops WebSocket connection
• Fixed CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_EXPERIMENTAL_BETAS not suppressing structured-outputs beta header
• Fixed —channels bypass for Team/Enterprise orgs
• Fixed a crash on Node.js 18
• Fixed unnecessary permission prompts for Bash commands containing dashes
• Fixed plugin hooks blocking prompt submission
• Fixed background agent task output race condition
• Fixed /btw not including pasted text
• Improved MCP read/search tool calls
• Improved ! bash mode discoverability
• Improved plugin freshness
• Disabled line-by-line response streaming on Windows
• [VSCode] Fixed Windows PATH inheritance for Git Bash

v2.1.83 is a minor update with steady improvements and bug fixes. The —bare flag provides a suitable option for scripted use in CI/CD environments.