False "Update available" notification when installed via apt/deb package
Open 💬 0 comments Opened Jun 21, 2026 by klingel
Description
When Claude Code is installed via the Debian/apt repository (https://downloads.claude.ai/claude-code/apt/stable), the "Update available" notification fires based on the npm registry version rather than the apt repo version, resulting in a false positive.
Steps to reproduce
- Install Claude Code via the apt repository
- Verify the installed version matches the latest in the apt repo:
apt-cache policy claude-code - Notice "Update available!" is shown despite being on the latest apt version
Environment
- Installed version:
2.1.176-1(via apt) - Latest in apt repo:
2.1.176-1(up to date, confirmed viaapt-cache policy) - Latest on npm:
2.1.185(irrelevant for apt installs) - OS: Linux (Debian/Ubuntu-26.04)
- Install source:
https://downloads.claude.ai/claude-code/apt/stable
Expected behavior
No update notification when the installed version matches the latest available through the configured package manager.
Actual behavior
"Update available!" is shown because Claude Code checks the npm registry regardless of how it was installed.
Suggested fix
Detect when Claude Code is running from a system package (e.g. check if it was installed via dpkg/apt) and skip or adjust the update check accordingly.