# Claude Code 2.1.302 Starts Headless Runs on Third-Party Providers in Default Permission Mode

Claude Code 2.1.302 (16 October 2026) starts claude -p and Agent SDK sessions that set no permission mode in default mode on third-party providers, with telemetry off or on a fresh install. Fork subagents are now on by default outside the terminal, and /design-sync warns that standalone Claude Design closes by 14 December 2026.

By Neomanex. Updated 2026-10-31.

**Our take: never leave the permission mode of an unattended job to a default.** [Claude Code](/directory/claude-code) 2.1.302 changes that default for headless and Agent SDK runs on third-party providers. Set the mode explicitly in every script now and the next default change will not touch you. Claude Code stays **Conditional** in our directory: this is a configuration change to absorb, not a reason to rethink the tool.

## What happened

Anthropic shipped Claude Code 2.1.302 on 16 October 2026. Two changes in the release alter how scripted runs behave.

### The permission default

From the changelog: "Changed `claude -p` and Agent SDK sessions with no permission mode to start in `default` mode on third-party providers, with telemetry off or on a fresh install; `--permission-mode auto` keeps auto".

### Fork subagents everywhere

"Changed fork subagents (`subagent_type: \"fork\"`) to be on by default in `claude -p`, the Agent SDK, the desktop app and VS Code, as they already are in the terminal; `CLAUDE_CODE_FORK_SUBAGENT=0` turns them off, and `claude mcp serve` never offers them".

The same release makes the desktop app and VS Code always run the main conversation's subagents in the background, as the terminal does. A subagent's own Agent calls in `claude -p`, the Agent SDK, the desktop app and VS Code now run in the foreground by default.

### Also in 2.1.302

- Prompt and agent hooks: "at most 12 of one event run at a time; the rest wait their turn".
- `CLAUDE_CODE_AUTO_MODE_MODEL` chooses the model for the client-side auto mode classifier. It does not change the model for server-side auto mode.
- An `Idle compaction` row in `/config` turns idle compaction off or back on.
- `/design-sync` and `/design-login` now warn that standalone Claude Design (claude.ai/design) "closes by December 14, 2026".

## Why it matters

The permission change hits one specific population: jobs on a third-party provider that never set a mode and run with telemetry off or from a fresh install. Anthropic's permission modes docs explain why: before 2.1.302, runs that did not fetch feature flags (on a third-party provider, or with `DISABLE_TELEMETRY`) could start in auto mode. Now they start in Manual mode, which appears as `default` in SDK options and settings. A headless run in that mode does not prompt: calls needing approval are denied unless an allow rule, hook, `canUseTool` callback or `--permission-prompt-tool` approves them. An unattended pipeline that leaned on the old auto behavior can fail without any change to its own code.

Fork subagents turning on by default in `claude -p` and the Agent SDK means a headless run can now spawn forks it did not spawn by default before. If your job budgets tokens or time tightly, that is a behavior change worth checking.

## What changes for you

- **Headless or SDK on a third-party provider:** pass `--permission-mode` in every job (`--permission-mode auto` keeps auto), or approve specific calls with allow rules such as `--allowedTools "Bash(npm test)"` (the SDK has an equivalent allowed-tools option).
- **You do not want forks outside the terminal:** set `CLAUDE_CODE_FORK_SUBAGENT=0`.
- **Heavy hook setups:** expect prompt and agent hooks beyond 12 per event to queue.
- **Standalone Claude Design users:** export what you keep there before 14 December 2026.

## FAQ

### Does this affect runs against Anthropic's own API?

The 2.1.302 changelog scopes the change to third-party providers, with telemetry off or on a fresh install. Anthropic's permission modes docs say `claude -p` and Agent SDK runs with no mode set start in `default` on 2.1.302 or later, so set the mode explicitly wherever you run.

### How do I keep auto mode in headless jobs?

Pass `--permission-mode auto` explicitly; the changelog states it keeps auto.

### Can I turn fork subagents off?

Yes. `CLAUDE_CODE_FORK_SUBAGENT=0` turns them off, and `claude mcp serve` never offers them.

Canonical: https://neomanex.com/news/claude-code-2-1-302-headless-default-permission-mode-fork-subagents