Claude Code adds CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_FEATURE_FLAGS and changes auto mode when flags are off

Claude Code 2.1.319 (November 6, 2026) adds CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_FEATURE_FLAGS. The changelog says it "stops feature-flag fetching without turning off telemetry; every flag then uses its built-in default".

Before this, the documented ways to skip the fetch were tied to other settings. The docs list DISABLE_GROWTHBOOK, DISABLE_TELEMETRY, DO_NOT_TRACK and CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_NONESSENTIAL_TRAFFIC. Third-party provider sessions and Claude apps gateway sessions also skip it.

export CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_FEATURE_FLAGS=1

The changelog does not say which values the variable accepts. 1 is the form the other switches in these release notes use, such as CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_MCP_TASKS=1.

What stops working

The docs have a section, "Features that need feature-flag fetching". It says that with fetching off you can't run claude import or /import, run /skill-doctor, or run /restart on Pro, Max and Ultra plans. Remote Control is unavailable in some cases.

That page had not been updated for the new variable when this was written. It lists the existing triggers only. Check the section before relying on the variable.

Auto mode changes with it

The same release changes auto mode in sessions where telemetry or feature flags are off, including sessions behind LLM gateways. Calls the server can't check are now asked about or denied. There is no fallback to the built-in classifier.

To keep the built-in classifier, set CLAUDE_CODE_AUTO_MODE_SERVER=0. Bedrock, Vertex and Foundry are unchanged.

export CLAUDE_CODE_AUTO_MODE_SERVER=0

Two related changes in 2.1.319:

• Behind an LLM gateway, CLAUDE_CODE_AUTO_MODE_SERVER=1 turns on the server-side check even with CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_EXPERIMENTAL_BETAS set. If managed settings set the latter, they must set the 1 too.
• A project's settings files or a plugin can no longer switch the server-side check back on once you have switched it off outside the project.

The permission modes docs say the server asks by default in any session that doesn't fetch feature flags, from v2.1.282. They also say CLAUDE_CODE_AUTO_MODE_SERVER=0 makes Claude Code always use its own classifier requests.

MCP tasks

MCP tasks now work in the terminal without feature-flag fetching. That covers Bedrock, Vertex, Foundry, LLM gateways and DISABLE_TELEMETRY. Set CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_MCP_TASKS=1 to turn them off.

Sources: Claude Code changelog, environment variables, permission modes.