[DOCS] [Setup page] still describes the npm-install "one-time notice at startup" that v2.1.203 relocates to `/doctor` and `/status`

Documentation Type

Incorrect/outdated documentation

Documentation Location

https://code.claude.com/docs/en/setup

Section/Topic

The "Auto-updates" subsection under "Update Claude Code" — specifically the paragraph right under "Run claude doctor to see the result of the most recent update attempt."

Current Documentation

From https://code.claude.com/docs/en/setup line 191:

If an npm global install can't auto-update because the npm global directory isn't writable, Claude Code shows a one-time notice at startup, and claude doctor lists the available fixes. See permission errors during installation for details.

The corresponding environment variable entry in https://code.claude.com/docs/en/env-vars (line 314) reads:

| DISABLE_INSTALLATION_CHECKS | Set to 1 to disable installation warnings. Use only when manually managing the installation location, as this can mask issues with standard installations |

What's Wrong or Missing?

A. The "one-time notice at startup" wording describes a startup banner that v2.1.203 removes

The v2.1.203 changelog entry says:

Removed the startup "claude command missing or broken" warnings — they now appear in /doctor and /status instead

The npm-install auto-update failure setup.md:191 describes is one of the situations in which Claude Code's installer or its update routine can leave the claude command missing or non-functional in PATH, so it falls inside the class of startup warnings the v2.1.203 entry says was removed. The page still tells users they will see "a one-time notice at startup", and a user following that guidance on v2.1.203 will see no startup notice even when their install is broken.

B. There is no v2.1.203 note telling users where the relocated checks now live

The relocation target is exactly the two commands the doc ecosystem already documents as authoritative:

• /doctor is documented in https://code.claude.com/docs/en/debug-your-config (line 26) as covering "Configuration diagnostics: invalid keys, schema errors, installation health."
• /status is documented in the same table (line 28) as covering "Active settings sources, including whether managed settings are in effect."

Neither row carries a min-version: 2.1.203 note explaining that the relocation has moved the previously-startup installation warnings onto these two screens, so a user who learned the old startup-warning behavior has no in-page pointer to the new location.

C. DISABLE_INSTALLATION_CHECKS is now scoped to a class of warnings that no longer appears at startup

env-vars.md:314 describes DISABLE_INSTALLATION_CHECKS as the toggle that "disable[s] installation warnings" generally. After v2.1.203, those installation warnings no longer appear at startup — they appear in /doctor and /status — so the env var's role is unclear. The doc never says whether DISABLE_INSTALLATION_CHECKS=1 also suppresses the relocated /doctor//status checks, only describes it in terms of suppressing warnings the user would otherwise see.

Suggested Improvement

Option A: Comprehensive fix

1. In setup.md, replace the "one-time notice at startup" wording with language that matches v2.1.203 behavior, for example:

> If an npm global install can't auto-update because the npm global directory isn't writable, Claude Code surfaces the failure under /doctor (installation health) and /status instead of at startup, because v2.1.203 moved the startup banner into those two screens. Run /doctor for the available fixes. See permission errors during installation for details.

1. In debug-your-config.md, extend the /doctor row to capture the relocation:

> | /doctor | Configuration diagnostics: invalid keys, schema errors, installation health. {/ min-version: 2.1.196 /}As of v2.1.196, also reports duplicate subagent names defined in the same scope and marks which one is active. {/ min-version: 2.1.203 /}As of v2.1.203, also surfaces the relocated "claude command missing or broken" warnings that used to appear at startup. |

1. Update the /status row identically.

1. Update env-vars.md:314 so DISABLE_INSTALLATION_CHECKS says it now suppresses the relocated /doctor//status installation checks, not only the (now-removed) startup banner.

Option B: Minimum fix

Replace the "one-time notice at startup" sentence in setup.md:191 so it no longer promises a startup banner, and leave the rest to the existing /doctor and /status descriptions. Example:

If an npm global install can't auto-update because the npm global directory isn't writable, the failure shows up under /doctor's installation health check and on /status rather than as a startup banner. Run /doctor for the available fixes.

Impact

Medium - Makes feature difficult to understand

Additional Context

Affected Pages:

| Page | Line(s) | Context |
|------|---------|---------|
| https://code.claude.com/docs/en/setup | 191 | "one-time notice at startup" wording still describes a banner that v2.1.203 removed |
| https://code.claude.com/docs/en/env-vars | 314 | DISABLE_INSTALLATION_CHECKS row describes it as suppressing startup warnings that no longer exist |
| https://code.claude.com/docs/en/debug-your-config | 26, 28 | /doctor and /status rows are the new homes for the relocated checks but carry no v2.1.203 note |

Total scope: 3 pages affected.

Why this is a v2.1.203 change rather than a SKIP:

The v2.1.203 entry removes the "one-time notice at startup" wording from the only installation page that uses it (setup.md:191) and relocates the check to two commands (/doctor, /status) whose existing descriptions already cover the broad category but never pointed at the relocated startup warning. The pattern is identical to earlier "Removed the … startup banner — … still shows in /status …" changes that have historically produced valid DOCUMENT issues.

No single doc sentence actively contradicts the v2.1.203 behavior with a was X claim — the gap is the missing v2.1.203 note and the stale "one-time notice at startup" wording — but the user-facing effect (look for a startup banner that won't appear) is real.