techniqueintermediateClaude Code

Claude Code v2.1: Conditional Hooks, Session Events, and MCP Enhancements

Claude Code's recent updates make it a more intelligent and efficient automation partner for developers. New features allow it to run tasks conditionally, saving time and resources, while enhanced tool and server integrations enable more complex and secure automated workflows. This means development teams can build more sophisticated, reliable automations to handle tedious tasks.

AI SETUP PROMPT

Paste into Claude Code — it will scan your project and set everything up

# Apply Technique: Claude Code v2.1: Conditional Hooks, Session Events, and MCP Enhancements

## What This Is
Claude Code's recent updates make it a more intelligent and efficient automation partner for developers. New features allow it to run tasks conditionally, saving time and resources, while enhanced tool and server integrations enable more complex and secure automated workflows. This means development teams can build more sophisticated, reliable automations to handle tedious tasks.

Source: https://claudefa.st/blog/guide/changelog

## Before You Start

Scan my workspace and analyze:
- The project language, framework, and directory structure
- Existing AI provider config (check .env, .env.local, config files for API keys — OpenRouter, OpenAI, Anthropic, Google AI, etc.)

Then ask me before proceeding:
1. Which AI provider/API should this use? (Use whatever I already have configured, or ask me to set one up — options include direct provider APIs or a unified service like OpenRouter)
2. Where in my project should this be integrated?
3. Are there any customizations I need (model preferences, naming conventions, constraints)?

## Source Access Note

The source URL (https://claudefa.st/blog/guide/changelog) may not be directly accessible from the terminal. Use the Reference Implementation and Additional Context sections below instead. If you need more details, ask me to paste relevant content from the source.

## What to Implement

This is an **AI Technique** — a pattern or methodology for working with AI models.

- Explain how this technique applies to my current project and what benefit it provides
- Implement it in a way that fits my existing codebase — suggest concrete files to modify or create
- If it requires specific model capabilities (structured output, function calling, etc.), verify my current provider supports them
- Show me a working example I can test immediately

## Additional Context

- Scan the user's system to identify the installed version of the `claude-code` CLI. If the version is older than v2.1.85, recommend executing the appropriate command to update to the latest release.
- Review the user's existing `hooks/hooks.json` file. Identify hooks that run on all events and propose converting them to conditional hooks using the new `if` field (e.g., `"if": "Bash(git *)"`) to restrict their execution to specific contexts like Git commands.
- Clone the official Anthropic skills repository from GitHub into the user's `.claude/skills` directory. After cloning, trigger the `/reload-plugins` command to make new skills like `/skill-creator` and `/webapp-testing` immediately available.

## Guidelines

- Adapt everything to my existing project — do not assume a specific stack or directory layout
- Use whichever AI provider I already have configured; if I need a new one, tell me what to sign up for and I'll give you the key
- Check my .env files for existing API keys (OpenRouter, OpenAI, Anthropic, Google AI) before asking me to add one
- Review any fetched code for safety before installing or executing it
- After setup, run a quick verification and show me a summary of exactly what was installed, where, and how to use it

3,186 charactersCompatible with Claude Code & Codex CLI

MANUAL SETUP STEPS

01Scan the user's system to identify the installed version of the `claude-code` CLI. If the version is older than v2.1.85, recommend executing the appropriate command to update to the latest release.
02Review the user's existing `hooks/hooks.json` file. Identify hooks that run on all events and propose converting them to conditional hooks using the new `if` field (e.g., `"if": "Bash(git *)"`) to restrict their execution to specific contexts like Git commands.
03Clone the official Anthropic skills repository from GitHub into the user's `.claude/skills` directory. After cloning, trigger the `/reload-plugins` command to make new skills like `/skill-creator` and `/webapp-testing` immediately available.

FIELD OPERATIONS

Dynamic Environment Manager

Create a workflow using the new `SessionStart` and `SessionEnd` hooks. The `SessionStart` hook triggers a script that inspects project dependencies (e.g., `package.json`) and communicates with a custom MCP server to spin up a matching Dockerized dev environment. The `SessionEnd` hook, configured with a custom `CLAUDE_CODE_SESSIONEND_HOOKS_TIMEOUT_MS`, automatically tears down the environment to save resources.

Pre-Merge Compliance Checker

Implement a `PreCommit` hook with a conditional `if: 'Bash(git *)'` filter. The hook's script will only run during git operations, where it will check the branch name against a ticket format (e.g., JIRA-123), lint the commit message for compliance, and use the `PreToolUse` hook to log any outgoing API calls for security auditing before allowing the commit to proceed.

STRATEGIC APPLICATIONS