The ink on versions 2.1.163 through 2.1.167 is barely dry, and Anthropic already ships the next one. Claude Code 2.1.168 is a pure bug-fix and reliability release — small, but with two corrections that save real frustration in day-to-day use.
No more blank screen at startup
The most important fix addresses a silent startup hang. When the config directory was read-only or unwritable, Claude Code used to hang without a word — you’d just see a blank screen with no idea why. Now, in that situation, Claude Code starts with an in-memory configuration and surfaces the actual error message instead of stalling.
In restrictive environments — containers, locked-down corporate setups, read-only mounts — this was an annoying problem. The new behavior is far friendlier: better to start with a limitation and say so than to block without explanation.
WebFetch permissions work correctly again
The second fix is more subtle, but important for anyone who works with permission rules. Until now, WebFetch rules weren’t applied to the built-in, preapproved domains. Now explicit WebFetch(domain:...) rules — whether deny, ask, or allow — take precedence over the automatic approval of preconfigured hosts. So if you wanted to deliberately block certain domains, you can now rely on the rule actually taking effect.
On top of that come fixes for Windows: permission rules with backslashes (~\, \\server\share) or case variations never matched before. And Read deny rules now reliably hide files from Glob and Grep too.
My take
No spectacular feature, but exactly the kind of release you appreciate in a tool you use every day. Permission rules that don’t apply are a security risk — and a startup that hangs without a word is a nerve-wracker. Anthropic is steadily working off these rough edges. And the release pace stays impressive.
Sources: Claude Code Changelog, GitHub Releases