Claude Code January 2026 Updates: 7 Features Marketers Need to Know

Claude Code shipped seven features this week that change how marketing teams run AI-powered workflows. The updates include persistent planning directories, multi-agent plan reviews, automatic context clearing, and MCP tool search optimization. Marketing operators now have the infrastructure to build self-improving content systems.

These updates matter because context window management directly impacts output quality. When Claude Code hits 70,000 tokens mid-plan, compaction loses critical instructions. The new features solve this by separating planning from execution phases automatically.

TL;DR

Claude Code now saves plans to project directories for cross-agent review. New hooks let you route plans to Gemini CLI and Codex CLI for automated critique before execution. Context-clearing options preserve token budget for implementation. MCP tool search reduces tool description overhead by 60% when you have multiple integrations enabled.

Key Takeaways

• Plans directory setting stores plans in your project folder for version control and cross-agent access
• PostToolUse hooks trigger automatic plan reviews through external CLI tools
• Context clearing options give you a fresh 200k token window for plan execution
• MCP tool search activates automatically when tool descriptions exceed 10% of context
• Desktop app now includes planning mode with the same capabilities as CLI
• New diff view lets you add inline comments and suggestions to code changes
• Tab-to-append instructions work during permission prompts for faster iteration

What Is the New Plans Directory Feature?

Claude Code plans directory setting stores implementation plans in your project folder instead of the default .claude directory. This means other coding agents and team members access the same plans. Marketing teams use this to build knowledge bases of successful campaign automation patterns.

The default behavior saves plans to .claude/plans/ with random filenames. These files disappear from your workflow because they live outside version control. The new setting changes the storage location to any folder you specify.

Configure the plans directory in your .claude/settings.json file:

{
  "plansDirectory": "./plans"
}

Plans stored in your project folder enable three workflow improvements. First, you add plans to Git for version control. Second, other AI agents read and critique the plans. Third, you search plan history with grep to find previous approaches to similar problems.

Action item: Add "plansDirectory": "./plans" to your .claude/settings.json and run claude update to enable project-local plan storage.

How Do PostToolUse Hooks Enable Multi-Agent Plan Reviews?

PostToolUse hooks trigger custom scripts when Claude Code completes specific actions. The exit plan mode matcher runs your code after Claude finishes any planning phase. Marketing ops teams use this to route plans through multiple review agents before execution begins.

The hook architecture works by matching tool outputs to trigger conditions. When Claude exits planning mode, your hook scripts fire automatically. Each hook receives the plan content and returns feedback that Claude incorporates into the next iteration.

Here is the hook configuration structure:

{
  "hooks": {
    "PostToolUse": [
      {
        "matcher": "exit plan mode",
        "command": "./scripts/archive-plan.sh",
        "name": "archive plan"
      },
      {
        "matcher": "exit plan mode",
        "command": "./scripts/review-plan.sh",
        "name": "review plan"
      }
    ]
  }
}

The archive script copies plans to dated folders with session IDs for future reference. The review script passes the plan to Gemini CLI and Codex CLI for independent analysis. Both external agents return verdicts of “approve,” “warn,” or “block.”

When external reviewers return warnings, Claude receives the feedback and improves the plan automatically. Block verdicts force a complete plan rewrite. Approve verdicts let execution proceed. This creates a three-agent review system without manual intervention.

Marketing applications include having security sub-agents check for PII exposure in data workflows, cost analysis agents estimate API spend before bulk operations, and brand compliance agents verify messaging alignment.

Action item: Create a scripts/review-plan.sh file that pipes plan content to your secondary AI tool of choice and returns structured feedback.

What Does the Clear Context Option Do After Planning?

Claude Code clear context option starts plan execution with a fresh 200k token window. Planning phases consume 60,000 to 80,000 tokens through exploration sub-agents, web fetching, and iterative refinement. The new option prevents compaction from losing critical implementation details.

When you approve a plan, Claude now shows four options instead of two:

• Yes, clear context and auto-accept edits
• Yes, clear context, manually approve edits
• Yes, auto-accept edits (same context)
• Yes, manually approve edits (same context)

The clear context options load only the final plan into a new conversation. All exploration results, draft iterations, and intermediate reasoning disappear. This gives you maximum room for the actual implementation work.

Marketing workflows benefit because campaign automations often require many files and integrations. A content production workflow touching HubSpot, Webflow, and Airtable needs token space for each API configuration. Starting execution at 80k tokens leaves insufficient room.

The tradeoff is losing conversational context about why decisions were made. If you need to debug implementation issues, you lack the planning discussion. For complex projects, manually save key context before clearing.

Action item: Use “Yes, clear context and auto-accept edits” for any plan that consumed more than 50,000 tokens during planning.

How Does MCP Tool Search Reduce Token Usage?

MCP tool search condenses multiple server tool descriptions into a single searchable index. Before this update, every MCP tool loaded its full name, description, and input schema into the context window. Teams with 10+ integrations lost 15,000 to 20,000 tokens before any work began.

The new MCP search tool shows Claude only tool names initially. When Claude needs a specific tool, it queries the search function for full details. This progressive disclosure pattern matches how skills and documentation work in Claude Code.

Auto-enable threshold defaults to 10% of context window. When your MCP tool descriptions exceed this limit, search mode activates automatically. You control the threshold through environment variables:

{
  "env": {
    "MCP_TOOL_SEARCH": "auto:5"
  }
}

Setting the value to auto:5 triggers search mode when tools exceed 5% of context. Options include true (always on), false (never on), auto (10% default), or auto:N for custom percentage.

Marketing stacks with Slack, Google Analytics, Salesforce, Mailchimp, and Notion MCP servers benefit most from this feature. Each server contributes 1,000 to 3,000 tokens of tool descriptions. Five servers consume 10,000+ tokens before you type your first instruction.

Action item: Check your MCP server count with claude mcp list and enable auto search at 5% if you have more than three servers configured.

What New Hooks Support Team Onboarding Workflows?

Claude Code init and maintenance hooks run scripts during specific lifecycle events. The --init flag triggers setup scripts for new team members. The --maintenance flag runs update and cleanup scripts periodically. Marketing teams use these to standardize environments across contractors and agencies.

Three hook modes handle different scenarios:

{
  "hooks": {
    "Init": [
      {
        "command": "./scripts/onboard.sh",
        "name": "team onboarding"
      }
    ],
    "Maintenance": [
      {
        "command": "./scripts/update-deps.sh",
        "name": "dependency update"
      }
    ]
  }
}

Running claude --init installs npm packages, configures API keys, starts local services, and validates environment setup. Running claude --maintenance updates documentation, formats code, and checks for outdated dependencies.

The --init-only flag runs init hooks without starting a Claude session. CI/CD pipelines use this to configure build environments. Marketing applications include setting up tracking verification environments and configuring analytics connections.

Init hooks standardize onboarding time from hours to minutes. New team members run one command instead of following a 20-step setup document. The hook scripts encode your institutional knowledge about environment requirements.

Action item: Create an onboard.sh script that installs your required npm packages, copies environment variable templates, and validates API key presence.

What Desktop and Interface Updates Matter for Marketers?

Claude Code desktop app adds planning mode with full CLI feature parity. You access plans through the local interface by selecting “local” and pressing the plan button. Marketing managers who prefer GUI over terminal now have the same planning capabilities.

The new diff view shows deleted lines in red and added lines in green. Clicking the plus button on any line lets you add inline comments. Pressing enter sends your comment as a new message with file and line references. Code review becomes conversational.

Tab-to-append during permission prompts lets you add instructions without separate messages. When Claude asks to check out a branch, you press tab and type “call it campaign-q1-refresh instead” before pressing enter. The instruction appends to your approval.

Status line improvements show remaining context window percentage. Copy the updated display command from Claude Code release notes and run /statusline to update your battery indicator. Knowing your token budget helps you decide when to clear context.

Autocomplete icons now differentiate suggestion types. Plus signs indicate files, asterisks indicate agents, and diamonds indicate MCP tools. Visual distinction speeds up command entry when you have many options available.

Action item: Install the Claude Code desktop app and test planning mode on your next campaign automation project.

How Do You Build a Multi-Agent Plan Review Workflow?

Multi-agent plan review requires three components: archive hooks, review scripts, and verdict parsing. The system captures plans, routes them for analysis, and feeds improvements back to Claude. Marketing teams use this pattern to enforce brand guidelines and cost controls automatically.

Step 1: Configure the Archive Hook

The archive hook copies completed plans to dated folders with session identifiers:

#!/bin/bash
# scripts/archive-plan.sh
TIMESTAMP=$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S)
SESSION_ID=$CLAUDE_SESSION_ID
mkdir -p plans/archive/$TIMESTAMP-$SESSION_ID
cp plans/current-plan.md plans/archive/$TIMESTAMP-$SESSION_ID/

Step 2: Build the Review Script

The review script passes plans to external agents and collects verdicts:

#!/bin/bash
# scripts/review-plan.sh
PLAN_FILE=$1

# Get Gemini review
gemini-cli review "$PLAN_FILE" > reviews/gemini-review.md

# Get Codex review  
codex-cli review "$PLAN_FILE" > reviews/codex-review.md

# Parse verdicts and return to Claude
cat reviews/gemini-review.md reviews/codex-review.md

Step 3: Define Verdict Logic

External agents return structured verdicts that Claude interprets. Warnings trigger plan improvements. Blocks require replanning. Approvals proceed to execution.

Use this prompt to configure your review agents:

SYSTEM: You are a marketing operations reviewer.

<plan>
{{PLAN_CONTENT}}
</plan>

Review this automation plan for:
1. PII exposure risks in data flows
2. API cost estimates for bulk operations
3. Brand guideline compliance in messaging

MUST return verdict as first line: APPROVE, WARN, or BLOCK
MUST include specific issues for WARN and BLOCK verdicts

Output: Verdict line followed by itemized feedback.

This workflow runs automatically after every planning session. Claude receives external feedback without manual copy-paste. Three agents review every plan before execution begins.

Action item: Build a review script that checks plans against your top three compliance requirements and returns structured verdicts.

Final Takeaways

Plans directory storage transforms disposable plans into searchable knowledge bases. Store plans in your project folder to build institutional memory of successful automation patterns.

Multi-agent review hooks catch issues before execution wastes tokens. Route plans through specialized review agents for security, cost, and compliance analysis automatically.

Context clearing preserves token budget for complex implementations. Use the new clear context options when planning consumes more than 50,000 tokens.

MCP tool search scales your integration count without context overhead. Enable automatic search mode to maintain performance with five or more MCP servers.

Hook-based workflows standardize team environments. Init and maintenance hooks encode onboarding knowledge into executable scripts.