Claude Updates April 2026: Claude 4 Deprecated, Cowork Live, 1M Context & More

Anthropic shipped a significant number of product updates in April 2026. This digest covers everything that changed — model deprecations, Cowork updates, Claude Code releases, and API additions — in one place. Bookmark this and check the Current Claude Model Tracker for the latest model strings.

Model Changes

Claude 4.0 Deprecation — Action Required by June 15

Anthropic announced the deprecation of claude-sonnet-4-20250514 and claude-opus-4-20250514 — the original Claude 4.0 model versions from May 2025. Both retire from the Anthropic API on June 15, 2026. If you have either string in production code, migrate to claude-sonnet-4-6 and claude-opus-4-7 respectively. Full migration guide: Claude 4 Deprecation: What to Migrate To.

1M Token Context Window — Now Generally Available

The 1 million token context window for Claude Opus 4.6 and Claude Sonnet 4.6 is now generally available at standard pricing with no long-context surcharge. Previously in beta, this window supports approximately 750,000 words or about 2,500 pages of text in a single session. Also available on Vertex AI for both models.

Cowork Updates

Cowork Generally Available

Claude Cowork reached general availability on macOS and Windows via Claude Desktop this month, exiting the research preview label. The GA release added expanded usage analytics, OpenTelemetry support for monitoring Cowork activity, and role-based access controls for Enterprise plans so admins can customize which Claude capabilities each team group can access.

Computer Use in Cowork

Pro and Max plan users can now give Claude access to computer use within Cowork — meaning Claude can open files, run dev tools, navigate browsers, point, click, and interact with what’s on screen to complete tasks autonomously. No setup required for Pro/Max users. This makes Cowork’s Dispatch feature substantially more capable, letting Claude take multi-step actions on your computer while you’re away.

Scheduled and Recurring Tasks

Cowork now supports creating and scheduling both recurring and on-demand tasks from within the app. Previously this required configuration outside the main interface. A new Customize section in Claude Desktop groups skills, plugins, and connectors in one place.

Plugin Marketplace

Anthropic launched a new plugin marketplace for Team and Enterprise plans with admin controls for managing which plugins are available to which users. Enterprise admins can approve, restrict, or block specific plugins org-wide.

Claude Code Updates

Vertex AI Setup Wizard

Claude Code v2.1.98 and later include a /setup-vertex wizard that automates Google Cloud Vertex AI configuration — project selection, region, model pinning — without manually setting environment variables. Run claude --version to check if you’re on a supported version. Full setup guide: How to Run Claude Code on Vertex AI.

Advisor Tool — Public Beta

The Anthropic API now supports a public beta advisor tool (beta header: advisor-tool-2026-03-01). The pattern: pair a faster executor model with a higher-intelligence advisor model that provides strategic guidance mid-generation. Long-horizon agentic workloads get close to advisor-solo quality at executor-model costs. Useful for tasks where you want Opus-level reasoning with Sonnet-level speed on the bulk of token generation.

Worktree Switching and PreCompact Hooks

Claude Code added a path parameter to the EnterWorktree tool for switching into existing worktrees, PreCompact hook support (hooks can now block compaction by returning a decision block), and background monitor support for plugins via a top-level monitors manifest key.

Interactive Connectors in Claude Mobile

The Claude mobile app can now connect to fully interactive apps — live charts, diagrams, and shareable assets rendered visually inside conversations. Pull up live data, sketch diagrams, and build assets directly in the mobile chat interface.

What to Watch in May 2026

The June 15 deprecation deadline for Claude 4.0 models is the immediate action item for any team running the original 4.0 model strings. Claude 5 remains unannounced but expected Q2-Q3 2026 based on release cadence — see Claude 5 Release Date: What We Know. The advisor tool beta is worth testing for any team running complex agentic pipelines.