/whats-new - Claude Code Release Impact Analysis

Analyzes Claude Code release notes to understand what changed, how it impacts your workflow, and what actions you should take.

Two Modes

1. •Post-Update Analysis (default): "What changed since I last used Claude Code?"
2. •Pre-Update Preview: "Should I update? What's new in the latest version?"

Execution Steps (Follow in Order)

Step 1: Get Version Info

# Current installed version
CURRENT=$(claude --version 2>/dev/null | head -1 | grep -oE '[0-9]+\.[0-9]+\.[0-9]+')
echo "Current: $CURRENT"

# Previous version (what we updated from, if tracked)
PREVIOUS=$(cat ~/.claude/last-known-version 2>/dev/null || echo "unknown")
echo "Previous: $PREVIOUS"

# Latest available version (from GitHub)
LATEST=$(curl -s "https://api.github.com/repos/anthropics/claude-code/releases/latest" | jq -r '.tag_name' | sed 's/^v//')
echo "Latest: $LATEST"

Step 2: Fetch Changelog from GitHub

# The official changelog - this is the source of truth
curl -s "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/anthropics/claude-code/main/CHANGELOG.md"

Step 3: Determine Analysis Mode

If CURRENT < LATEST (user hasn't updated yet):

• •Show: "Update Available: {CURRENT} to {LATEST}"
• •Analyze what's NEW in versions they don't have yet
• •Recommend: Should they update? (based on criticality)

If PREVIOUS < CURRENT (user just updated):

• •Show: "Just Updated: {PREVIOUS} to {CURRENT}"
• •Analyze what changed in versions they just received
• •Recommend: Actions to take post-update

Step 4: Filter to Relevant Versions

From the changelog, extract only versions between:

• •Post-update: PREVIOUS to CURRENT
• •Pre-update: CURRENT to LATEST

Step 5: Categorize & Output

Parse changes into impact categories and generate action plan.

Impact Categories

CRITICAL - Immediate Action Required

• •Breaking Changes: Incompatible behavior changes
• •Security Fixes: Patched vulnerabilities
• •Deprecations: Features being removed soon

IMPORTANT - Review This Week

• •API/Tool Changes: Modified parameters or behavior
• •Hook Changes: New events, changed inputs/outputs
• •Permission Changes: New permission requirements

NEW FEATURES - Opportunities

• •New Commands: Fresh slash commands
• •New Tools: Additional capabilities
• •Performance: Speed/memory improvements

BUG FIXES - Awareness

• •Crashes Fixed: Stability improvements
• •Behavior Fixes: Corrected functionality

Pre-Update Decision Helper

When showing available updates, include:

## Should You Update?

**Update Now If:**
- Security fixes are included
- Bugs affecting you are fixed
- Features you want are added

**Wait If:**
- Breaking changes need preparation
- You want others to test first

**Verdict**: [RECOMMEND UPDATE / WAIT / CRITICAL - UPDATE NOW]

Output Format

# Claude Code: vX.Y.Z to vA.B.C

## CRITICAL (N items)
| Change | Impact | Action |
|--------|--------|--------|

## IMPORTANT (N items)
| Change | Impact | Recommendation |
|--------|--------|----------------|

## NEW FEATURES (N items)
| Feature | Benefit | How to Use |
|---------|---------|------------|

## FIXES (N items)
| Fix | What Was Broken |
|-----|-----------------|

## Recommended Actions
- [ ] Action 1
- [ ] Action 2

## Should You Update?
**Verdict**: [recommendation]