Not every release has to be big. Claude Code 2.1.185, shipped on June 20, has exactly one change — and that’s precisely why I think it’s worth a mention. It shows how much thought goes into even a single line of text.
What changed
When the API stalls for a moment, Claude Code used to show the hint “No response from API · Retrying in …” — and it did so after just 10 seconds of silence. Now it reads: “Waiting for API response · will retry in …”, and the hint only appears after 20 seconds.
Two small dials, two sensible effects. The new wording no longer sounds like “error” but like “patience” — it describes what’s actually happening instead of putting you on alert. And the longer wait keeps the hint from popping up at every brief hiccup in the connection.
Why this fits right now
The timing is no accident. Claude has been through several stretches of elevated error rates and 529 overload messages in recent weeks, whenever capacity ran tight. In exactly those moments, a client that doesn’t immediately shout “error!” but calmly says “still waiting” is worth its weight in gold. Anyone who’s watched their terminal throw red retry messages every second during an overload knows how much calmer this version feels.
My take
I like releases like this. They’re unspectacular, but they reveal an attitude: software that thinks about how it feels to use. A message that triggers panic where only patience is needed is a small stumbling block — and Anthropic took the time to clear it away. That maintenance rhythm, that constant polishing of details, is one of the reasons Claude Code feels so smooth in daily use.
Sources: Claude Code Changelog, GitHub: anthropics/claude-code Releases