Claude Code v2.1.118: Vim Visual Mode, Enhanced Theming, and MCP Improvements

Claude Code v2.1.118 is now available, bringing significant enhancements to the vim editing experience, theme customization capabilities, and Model Context Protocol (MCP) reliability. This release focuses on improving developer workflow with better visual feedback and more robust integrations.

What’s New

Vim Visual Mode Support

This release introduces comprehensive vim visual mode support with both character-wise (v) and line-wise (V) selection modes. You now get proper visual feedback when making selections and can use all standard vim operators within visual mode, making the editing experience much closer to native vim.

Custom Theme System

The new theming system allows you to create and manage custom themes directly from the /theme command. Themes are stored as JSON files in ~/.claude/themes/ and can be hand-edited for fine-tuning. Plugin developers can also bundle themes by including a themes/ directory in their plugins.

Streamlined Usage Statistics

The /cost and /stats commands have been merged into a unified /usage command. Don’t worry - both old commands still work as shortcuts and will open the relevant tab in the usage interface.

Enhanced MCP Integration

Direct Tool Invocation: Hooks can now invoke MCP tools directly using type: "mcp_tool"
Improved OAuth Handling: Fixed numerous OAuth-related issues including token refresh races, scope validation, and credential corruption
Better Error Reporting: MCP authentication issues are now properly surfaced in /doctor and the plugin errors tab

Auto Mode Improvements

Auto mode configuration now supports "$defaults" in allow lists, soft deny lists, and environment settings. This lets you add custom rules alongside built-in ones instead of completely replacing them. There’s also a new “Don’t ask again” option for the auto mode opt-in prompt.

Developer Experience Enhancements

Plugin Versioning: New claude plugin tag command for creating release tags with version validation
Session Recovery: --continue and --resume now work with sessions that used /add-dir
WSL Integration: Better settings inheritance from Windows on WSL systems
Update Control: New DISABLE_UPDATES environment variable for complete update blocking

How to Update

Update to the latest version using:

claude update

If you have automatic updates enabled, the update will be applied automatically. For environments where updates should be completely disabled, set the DISABLE_UPDATES environment variable.