# Claude Code v2.1.316 adds pooled gateway budgets and layered policies

published: 2026-10-31T01:05:28.358Z
topic: frameworks
source: https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code/releases/tag/v2.1.316
url: https://aiagentnews.io/stories/claude-code-v2-1-316-adds-pooled-gateway-budgets-and-layered-policies

Anthropic's Claude Code v2.1.316 adds controls for ultrathink, subagent effort and gateway budgets, alongside a long list of fixes. It also deprecates fast mode on Opus 4.8, which will return errors after removal instead of falling back to standard Opus 4.8.

The release adds CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_ULTRATHINK, which turns off the ultrathink keyword, and CLAUDE_CODE_SUBAGENT_EFFORT, which sets the effort level subagents run at when nothing else names one. It also adds CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_LOOPED_CROSS_CERT_DROP for servers whose private certificate authority needs cross-certificates kept in a loop.

On the Claude apps gateway, pooled group budgets let a group's members share one monthly budget on top of each member's own limit, set with pooled_budget on the spend limits admin API. A new layered policy mode applies every matching policy, each merged over those listed below it, rather than only the first match. The gateway can also wrap prompts for Amazon Bedrock guardrails' prompt attacks filter.

Fast mode for Opus 4.8 is deprecated as of October 30, 2026 and will be removed on November 30, 2026. After removal, fast mode requests on that model return an error instead of falling back to standard Opus 4.8, and Anthropic says developers should migrate to Opus 5.5 to keep the speedup. The release also fixes several shell and sign-in bugs, and the gateway now checks every model a request names against its allow and deny lists.

## Why it matters if you build agents

Teams using fast mode on Opus 4.8 need to move to Opus 5.5 before November 30, 2026, or those requests will fail rather than fall back. Gateway operators can now cap shared spend per group and stack policies so that every matching rule applies. Subagents can run at their own effort level instead of inheriting the parent session's setting.