165 Environment Variables in Claude Code 2.1.69 — What Changed in 50 Versions#
Published on March 5, 2026
Part of the Claude Code Version Tracker series. | Official Env Vars
Back in January 2025, I extracted 83 undocumented environment variables from Claude Code v2.1.19's binary. Fifty versions later, I reran the same extraction on v2.1.69 and the count nearly doubled: 165 env vars, 16 model IDs, and 41 Statsig feature gates.
Here is what is new, what got removed, and why it matters.
The Numbers#
| v2.1.19 (Jan 2025) | v2.1.69 (Mar 2026) | |
|---|---|---|
| Environment variables | 83 | 165 |
| Model IDs in binary | — | 16 |
| Statsig feature gates | ~16 known | 41 |
| Dynamic configs | ~9 known | 30+ |
Biggest New Additions#
Plugin Ecosystem (6 new vars)#
Claude Code now has a full plugin system. Six new env vars control it:
| Variable | Purpose |
|---|---|
CLAUDE_CODE_PLUGIN_CACHE_DIR | Local cache directory for downloaded plugins |
CLAUDE_CODE_PLUGIN_GIT_TIMEOUT_MS | Git clone timeout for plugin installation |
CLAUDE_CODE_PLUGIN_SEED_DIR | Seed directory for pre-installed plugins |
CLAUDE_CODE_PLUGIN_USE_ZIP_CACHE | Use zip-based caching instead of git |
CLAUDE_CODE_SYNC_PLUGIN_INSTALL | Install plugins synchronously (block until done) |
CLAUDE_CODE_SYNC_PLUGIN_INSTALL_TIMEOUT_MS | Timeout for synchronous plugin install |
This aligns with the enabledPlugins setting in settings.json where you can toggle community and official plugins.
mTLS / Enterprise Proxy Support (3 new vars)#
Mutual TLS support for enterprise environments:
| Variable | Purpose |
|---|---|
CLAUDE_CODE_CLIENT_CERT | Path to client certificate for mTLS |
CLAUDE_CODE_CLIENT_KEY | Path to client private key |
CLAUDE_CODE_CLIENT_KEY_PASSPHRASE | Passphrase for encrypted client key |
If your org uses a corporate proxy with mutual TLS, these are the vars you need.
Background Tasks and Cowork (5 new vars)#
| Variable | Purpose |
|---|---|
CLAUDE_AUTO_BACKGROUND_TASKS | Enable automatic background task execution |
CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_BACKGROUND_TASKS | Disable background tasks entirely |
CLAUDE_CODE_ENABLE_TASKS | Enable the task system |
CLAUDE_CODE_IS_COWORK | Indicates running in cowork (multi-agent) mode |
CLAUDE_CODE_USE_CCR_V2 | Use Claude Code Router v2 for cowork sessions |
Context Window Controls (5 new vars)#
Fine-grained control over auto-compaction — the system that compresses your conversation when hitting token limits:
| Variable | Purpose |
|---|---|
CLAUDE_AFTER_LAST_COMPACT | Internal marker: post-compaction state |
CLAUDE_AUTOCOMPACT_PCT_OVERRIDE | Override the auto-compaction trigger percentage |
CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_PRECOMPACT_SKIP | Disable skipping pre-compaction checks |
CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_1M_CONTEXT | Disable the extended 1M token context window |
CLAUDE_CODE_FILE_READ_MAX_OUTPUT_TOKENS | Max tokens for file read output |
If you read my context window management guide, CLAUDE_AUTOCOMPACT_PCT_OVERRIDE is particularly interesting — it lets you control exactly when compaction triggers. See the dedicated CLAUDE_AUTOCOMPACT_PCT_OVERRIDE guide for recommended values, the 83% cap quirk, and use-case-specific settings.
Multi-Provider Auth (7 new vars)#
Claude Code now has explicit env vars for each cloud provider:
| Variable | Purpose |
|---|---|
CLAUDE_CODE_USE_BEDROCK | Use Amazon Bedrock as backend |
CLAUDE_CODE_USE_VERTEX | Use Google Vertex AI as backend |
CLAUDE_CODE_USE_FOUNDRY | Use Anthropic Foundry as backend |
CLAUDE_CODE_SKIP_BEDROCK_AUTH | Skip Bedrock authentication |
CLAUDE_CODE_SKIP_VERTEX_AUTH | Skip Vertex AI authentication |
CLAUDE_CODE_SKIP_FOUNDRY_AUTH | Skip Foundry authentication |
CLAUDE_CODE_CUSTOM_OAUTH_URL | Custom OAuth endpoint URL |
Fast Mode and UI Controls#
| Variable | Purpose |
|---|---|
CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_FAST_MODE | Disable the /fast toggle that uses the same model with faster output |
CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_TERMINAL_TITLE | Stop Claude Code from setting the terminal title |
CLAUDE_CODE_STREAMING_TEXT | Control streaming text display |
CLAUDE_CODE_QUESTION_PREVIEW_FORMAT | Format for permission question previews |
CLAUDE_CODE_SEARCH_HINTS_IN_LIST | Show search hints in tool list |
Remote and Server Mode (4 new vars)#
| Variable | Purpose |
|---|---|
CLAUDE_CODE_REMOTE_MEMORY_DIR | Memory directory for remote sessions |
CLAUDE_CODE_REMOTE_SEND_KEEPALIVES | Send keepalive pings in remote mode |
CLAUDE_CODE_SPAWNED_BY_SERVER | Indicates process was spawned by a server |
CLAUDE_CODE_RESUME_INTERRUPTED_TURN | Resume an interrupted agent turn |
What Got Removed (6 vars)#
| Removed Variable | Replacement / Notes |
|---|---|
CLAUDE_BASH_NO_LOGIN | Replaced by CLAUDE_CODE_SHELL_PREFIX |
CLAUDE_CODE_AGENT_SWARMS | Replaced by CLAUDE_CODE_EXPERIMENTAL_AGENT_TEAMS |
CLAUDE_CODE_SIMPLETON | Renamed to CLAUDE_CODE_SIMPLE |
CLAUDE_CODE_SESSION_ID | Likely internalized / no longer exposed |
CLAUDE_CODE_PROFILE_QUERY | Likely merged into general profiling |
MAX_THINKING_TOKENS | Likely controlled via API settings now |
Model IDs in the Binary#
The v2.1.69 binary contains references to these model IDs:
claude-3-haiku-20240307
claude-3-opus-20240229
claude-3-sonnet-20240229
claude-3-5-haiku-20241022
claude-3-5-sonnet-20240620
claude-3-5-sonnet-20241022
claude-3-7-sonnet-20250219
claude-4-opus-20250514
claude-code-20250219
claude-haiku-4-5-20251001
claude-opus-4-20250514
claude-opus-4-1-20250805
claude-opus-4-5-20251101
claude-sonnet-4-20250514
claude-sonnet-4-5-20250514
claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929
The full Claude 4.x model family is visible — from Sonnet 4 through Opus 4.5.
New Dynamic Configs#
Several new Statsig dynamic configs appeared, revealing internal feature toggles:
| Config ID | Value | Likely Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| 522643335 | variant: "interactive_menu" | Interactive menu UI mode selector |
| 4008157471 | variant: "user_intent" | User intent classification system |
| 3148619311 | fromMarketplace: true | Plugin marketplace integration |
| 2719998910 | fallback_available_warning_threshold: 0.5 | Model fallback warning threshold |
| 3855860696 | scheduledDelayMillis: 5000, maxExportBatchSize: 200 | Telemetry export batching config |
| 4189951994 | tokenThreshold: 0.92 | Auto-compaction triggers at 92% of context window |
The tokenThreshold: 0.92 in config 4189951994 is worth noting — it confirms that auto-compaction triggers at 92% capacity, earlier than the ~95% many assumed.
What This Tells Us About Claude Code's Direction#
Fifty versions of env var growth paint a clear picture:
- Plugin ecosystem is real — Six new vars for plugin management means Anthropic is building an extensible platform, not just a CLI tool.
- Enterprise is a priority — mTLS, multi-provider auth (Bedrock/Vertex/Foundry), and org-level UUIDs show serious enterprise investment.
- Multi-agent is maturing — Swarms became Agent Teams, cowork got a v2 router, and background tasks enable truly autonomous agent workflows.
- Context management is getting smarter — Five new compaction-related vars suggest ongoing work on the 1M context window and how to manage it efficiently.
I plan to rerun this analysis periodically.
This analysis is conducted for independent security research and interoperability purposes under fair use principles. All trademarks belong to their respective owners. The information presented here documents publicly observable behavior of installed software and is not intended to circumvent any technological protection measures, infringe on intellectual property rights, or encourage unauthorized use. Use these findings at your own discretion.
Latest: Claude Code v2.1.72 — 6 New Environment Variables
Next: Claude Code v2.1.70 — 3 New Environment Variables
Previously: 83 Undocumented Claude Code Environment Variables (v2.1.19)
Related: Context Window Management Guide | CLAUDE_AUTOCOMPACT_PCT_OVERRIDE Guide | Claude Code Productivity Tips