Anthropic (Claude Code GitHub): Claude Code v2.1.185 improves stream stall message

Claude Code v2.1.185 changes the stream stall message text

On June 20, 2026 at 20:59 UTC, Anthropic released Claude Code v2.1.185 — an exclusively UX patch that improves communication with the user during API response stalls.

What exactly changed

The old message read “No response from API · Retrying in …”, which could appear to users as a system error. The new message “Waiting for API response · will retry in …” explicitly communicates that Claude Code is waiting for a response and will automatically retry — without any need for manual intervention.

Along with the text change, the message activation threshold was extended from 10 to 20 seconds of silence. By comparison, the previous version displayed the warning twice as fast, which unnecessarily alarmed users during normal network delays.

Fast release cycle — no under-the-hood changes

This is the only release for June 20, the day after v2.1.183 (June 19). Neither the model, nor API endpoints, nor retry logic were touched — this is purely an improvement to the user experience during extended waits.

Why this matters

In developer tools, message clarity directly affects trust. The difference between “No response” and “Waiting for response” is semantically small, but in practice it reduces false alarms and manual session restarts — especially for complex requests that take longer to process context.