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claude-code - 💡(How to fix) Fix [BUG] Auto-updater ignores autoUpdatesChannel: "latest", actively downgrades to stable [2 comments, 2 participants]

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anthropics/claude-code#46280•Fetched 2026-04-11 06:24:28
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Fix Action

Workaround

Set "autoUpdates": false, manually force the symlink, and update manually:

curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash -s -- latest
ln -sf ~/.local/share/claude/versions/2.1.100 ~/.local/bin/claude

Code Example

$ ls -lat ~/.local/share/claude/versions/
-rwxr-xr-x  d  staff  196886384 Apr 10 07:51 2.1.89   # re-downloaded after deletion
-rwxr-xr-x  d  staff  200503760 Apr 10 07:35 2.1.100

---

curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash -s -- latest
ln -sf ~/.local/share/claude/versions/2.1.100 ~/.local/bin/claude
RAW_BUFFERClick to expand / collapse

Preflight Checklist

  • I have searched existing issues and this hasn't been reported yet
  • This is a single bug report (please file separate reports for different bugs)
  • I am using the latest version of Claude Code

What's Wrong?

The auto-updater ignores the autoUpdatesChannel: "latest" setting in settings.json and actively downgrades from latest to stable channel versions. This is the inverse of #46145 (stable users getting latest).

Steps to Reproduce

  1. Install Claude Code via native installer: curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash -s -- latest → installs 2.1.100
  2. Set "autoUpdatesChannel": "latest" and "autoUpdates": true in ~/.claude/settings.json
  3. Launch Claude Code → confirms v2.1.100
  4. Exit and relaunch → reverted to v2.1.89 (current stable)

The auto-updater re-downloads the stable version and swaps the symlink back:

$ ls -lat ~/.local/share/claude/versions/
-rwxr-xr-x  d  staff  196886384 Apr 10 07:51 2.1.89   # re-downloaded after deletion
-rwxr-xr-x  d  staff  200503760 Apr 10 07:35 2.1.100

Even deleting the old stable binary from ~/.local/share/claude/versions/ doesn't help — the updater fetches it again from the network and restores the symlink.

Workaround

Set "autoUpdates": false, manually force the symlink, and update manually:

curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash -s -- latest
ln -sf ~/.local/share/claude/versions/2.1.100 ~/.local/bin/claude

Expected Behavior

With autoUpdatesChannel: "latest", the auto-updater should check the latest channel and update to the newest latest release — not downgrade to stable.

Environment

  • macOS (Darwin 25.4.0, arm64)
  • Installed via native installer (curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash)
  • Claude Code 2.1.100 (downgrades to 2.1.89)
  • settings.json has "autoUpdatesChannel": "latest" and "autoUpdates": true

Related Issues

  • #46145 — inverse bug: stable channel users getting updated to latest
  • #45260 — auto-updater symlink issues
  • #41140 — update notifications ignoring channel on macOS

extent analysis

TL;DR

The auto-updater in Claude Code ignores the autoUpdatesChannel: "latest" setting and downgrades from the latest to stable channel version, which can be temporarily worked around by disabling auto-updates and manually updating.

Guidance

  • Verify that the settings.json file is correctly formatted and that the autoUpdatesChannel and autoUpdates settings are correctly set to "latest" and true, respectively.
  • Try deleting the stable version binary from ~/.local/share/claude/versions/ and then relaunching Claude Code to see if the auto-updater correctly updates to the latest version.
  • Manually update Claude Code using the provided workaround: set "autoUpdates": false, download the latest version using curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash -s -- latest, and manually update the symlink using ln -sf ~/.local/share/claude/versions/2.1.100 ~/.local/bin/claude.
  • Check the related issues (#46145, #45260, #41140) for any additional information or potential fixes.

Example

The provided workaround can be used as a temporary solution:

curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash -s -- latest
ln -sf ~/.local/share/claude/versions/2.1.100 ~/.local/bin/claude

Notes

The root cause of the issue is unclear, but it appears to be related to the auto-updater ignoring the autoUpdatesChannel setting. The workaround provides a temporary solution, but a permanent fix may require changes to the Claude Code application or its auto-updater.

Recommendation

Apply the workaround by disabling auto-updates and manually updating Claude Code, as this provides a temporary solution to the issue.

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