claude update downloads new versions but doesn't switch to them (symlink not updated)
Resolved 💬 3 comments Opened Feb 8, 2026 by ronmikailov Closed Feb 11, 2026
Bug Summary
The claude update command downloads newer versions to ~/.local/share/claude/versions/ but fails to update the symlink at ~/.local/bin/claude, leaving users stuck on older versions.
Environment
- OS: WSL2 (Linux 6.6.87.2-microsoft-standard-WSL2)
- Installation method: Standalone installer (
curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash) - Current version: 2.1.25 (stable)
Steps to Reproduce
- Install Claude Code via the standalone installer
- Run
claude updateperiodically over time - Check
ls -la ~/.local/share/claude/versions/
Observed Behavior
Multiple versions are downloaded but symlink stays on the old version:
$ ls -la ~/.local/share/claude/versions/
-rwxr-xr-x 1 user user 224472763 Feb 8 08:41 2.1.25
-rwxr-xr-x 1 user user 223098657 Feb 6 04:01 2.1.33
-rwxr-xr-x 1 user user 223101542 Feb 6 09:23 2.1.34
$ ls -la ~/.local/bin/claude
~/.local/bin/claude -> ~/.local/share/claude/versions/2.1.25
Running claude update reports "up to date" despite newer versions existing locally.
Additionally, when manually switching to a newer version (2.1.34) and then running claude update, it downgrades back to 2.1.25:
$ ln -sf ~/.local/share/claude/versions/2.1.34 ~/.local/bin/claude
$ claude --version
2.1.34 (Claude Code)
$ claude update
Current version: 2.1.34
Checking for updates to stable version...
Successfully updated from 2.1.34 to version 2.1.25 # <-- DOWNGRADE!
Expected Behavior
- The symlink should be updated to point to the latest downloaded version
claude updateshould not downgrade from newer versions
Workaround
Manually update the symlink:
ln -sf ~/.local/share/claude/versions/2.1.34 ~/.local/bin/claude
Or use a wrapper script that properly handles symlink updates after the builtin update downloads new versions.
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