Claude Code v2.1.84 Release - PowerShell Tool Preview and Environment Configuration Enhancements

Claude Code v2.1.84 was released on March 26, 2026, bringing PowerShell tool support for Windows, new environment variable configuration options, and numerous stability improvements.

PowerShell Tool for Windows

A new PowerShell tool is now available as an opt-in preview for Windows users. This tool enables executing PowerShell commands directly within Claude Code, expanding the shell capabilities beyond Bash for Windows development environments.

Developers can now leverage PowerShell-specific scripts and cmdlets while working with Claude Code, particularly useful for Windows-specific automation tasks and administration workflows.

Environment Variable Enhancements

Several new environment variables have been added for more granular control:

• ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_{OPUS,SONNET,HAIKU}_MODEL_SUPPORTS: Override effort/thinking capability detection for pinned default models on third-party providers (Bedrock, Vertex, Foundry)
• ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_{MODEL}_MODEL_NAME/_DESCRIPTION: Customize the /model picker label
• CLAUDE_STREAM_IDLE_TIMEOUT_MS: Configure the streaming idle watchdog threshold (default 90s)

These additions provide more flexibility for enterprise deployments and custom configurations.

Improved Idle Session Handling

Users returning after 75+ minutes of inactivity now receive a prompt suggesting /clear, reducing unnecessary token re-caching on stale sessions. This optimization helps manage resource usage more efficiently for intermittent users.

Additionally, deep links (claude-cli://) now open in your preferred terminal instead of whichever terminal happens to be first in the detection list.

Stability and Performance Improvements

• Native terminal cursor now tracks the text input caret, enabling IME composition (CJK input) to render inline
• Screen readers can now follow the input position correctly
• Fixed spurious “Not logged in” errors on macOS caused by transient keychain read failures
• Fixed a cold-start race where core tools could be deferred without their bypass active

VSCode Extension Updates

• Added rate limit warning banner with usage percentage and reset time
• Stats screenshot (Ctrl+S in /stats) now works in all builds and is 16x faster

More Details

The full list of changes can be found in the GitHub release notes.