Claude Code now handles busy models better
Claude Code v2.1.166 is a small but useful update. You can set fallback models, so work can continue when the main model is overloaded or unavailable. It also blocks relayed permission requests from other Claude sessions more strictly.
Key points
- You can set up to three fallback models in order.
- The --fallback-model option now works in interactive sessions too.
- Relayed permission requests from another session are refused.
- A bug that wasted extra tokens on bad image input was fixed.
Quick term guide
- fallback models
- Backup AI models used when the first model is busy or unavailable.
- fallback
- When the first choice is unavailable, the system automatically switches to a backup option instead
- models
- Different AI engines that can power answers or code suggestions inside a tool.
- OC
- Short for Original Character — a fictional character invented by the user themselves, not from an existing story or franchise.
- permission requests
- Prompts asking whether an AI tool may take an action, such as using a file or tool.
- session
- A continuous period of interaction between a user and a computer program.
- tokens
- Tokens are small pieces of text that AI systems count when reading or writing.
- token
- A small piece of text used to measure AI input, output, and cost.