[FEATURE] Separate Claude Code into Stable Release (major versions) and Preview Release (minor versions) channels

[dimension-zero]

Preflight Checklist

• [x] I have searched existing requests and this feature hasn't been requested yet
• [x] This is a single feature request (not multiple features)

Problem Statement

Some people will prefer to wait for a Stable Release with full release notes etc.

Proposed Solution

npm i -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code -> major / stable versions npm i -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code-preview -> minor / beta/preview versions with new features and may be more buggy Plus, auto-update in Claude Code takes account of stable/preview preference.

Alternative Solutions

None.

Priority

Medium - Would be very helpful

Feature Category

CLI commands and flags

Use Case Example

Working on critical deadline or in conservative corporate environment: use Stable release only.

Everyone else: use Preview release if they want.

Additional Context

No response

[github-actions[bot]]

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[burtonrhodes]

I would also like this to be a feature. Auto upgrading to non-stable or preview releases is not preferred. The only fix I currently see is to disable auto-updates permanently and then upgrade manually.