[Release] anthropics/claude-code v2.1.161: v2.1.161

Claude Code v2.1.161 introduces enhanced observability through OTEL metric labels, improves parallel tool execution by allowing independent failures, and fixes critical issues with clipboard handling, authentication policies, and background session management. The release includes UI/UX improvements for agent progress display, MCP connector management, and accessibility features like motion reduction support. Multiple regressions and edge cases are resolved, particularly around git worktrees, file editing in isolated workflows, and telemetry initialization.

Key Points

• •OTEL_RESOURCE_ATTRIBUTES now included as metric labels for slicing usage by custom dimensions (team, repo)
• •Parallel tool calls now fail independently — failed Bash commands no longer cancel other concurrent calls in the same batch
• •Agent progress display improved: shows done/total count before details when work is fanned out; peek shows longest-running item
• •MCP connectors UI simplified: unused connectors (never signed in) now collapsed behind 'Show unused connectors' row
• •Clipboard handling enhanced on Linux: uses wl-copy/xclip/xsel when available, copies to both clipboard and PRIMARY selection for middle-click paste
• •Fixed managed-settings policies (forceLoginOrgUUID/forceLoginMethod) that were blocking third-party provider sessions (Bedrock, Vertex, Foundry, Mantle)
• •Accessibility improvements: /effort dialog, workflow animations, and prompt keyword shimmer now respect 'Reduce motion' setting
• •Fixed background subagent output corruption affecting claude -p stdout with text/json output formats
• •Resolved git worktree and non-git workspace issues: --resume picker and /autofix-pr now work correctly in jj workspaces and other repository types
• •Fixed OpenTelemetry log events being silently dropped when emitted before telemetry initialization completed

Workflow Diagram

Concepts