API_FORCE_IDLE_TIMEOUT

Updated October 13, 2026 by Alex Sorokoletov

API_FORCE_IDLE_TIMEOUT is a Claude Code environment variable. Its release history is not tracked here. It is listed in the official reference.

Status	Present in v2.1.294
Category	Network and proxy
Official docs	Listed

How to set it

For one session, export it in the shell that starts Claude Code:

export API_FORCE_IDLE_TIMEOUT=<value>
claude

To apply it to every session, add it to the env object of a settings file:

// ~/.claude/settings.json
{
  "env": {
    "API_FORCE_IDLE_TIMEOUT": "<value>"
  }
}

Related variables

API_TIMEOUT_MS: Request timeout in milliseconds.
CLAUDE_BYTE_STREAM_IDLE_TIMEOUT_MS
CLAUDE_CODE_MCP_TOOL_IDLE_TIMEOUT
CLAUDE_STREAM_IDLE_TIMEOUT_MS: Configures the streaming idle watchdog threshold — the maximum time Claude Code waits for data on an open SSE connection before treating it as stalled.
BASH_DEFAULT_TIMEOUT_MS
BASH_MAX_TIMEOUT_MS
CLAUDE_AFK_TIMEOUT_MS
CLAUDE_ASYNC_AGENT_STALL_TIMEOUT_MS: Default 600,000ms (10 minutes).

Frequently asked questions

Which Claude Code version has API_FORCE_IDLE_TIMEOUT?

Its release history is not tracked here.

How do I set API_FORCE_IDLE_TIMEOUT?

Export it before starting Claude Code (export API_FORCE_IDLE_TIMEOUT=value), or add it to the "env" object in ~/.claude/settings.json to apply it to every session.

All variables, searchable: Claude Code environment variables.