CLAUDE_AUTO_BACKGROUND_TASKS

Updated October 13, 2026 by Alex Sorokoletov

CLAUDE_AUTO_BACKGROUND_TASKS is a Claude Code environment variable: Enable automatic background task execution. Present since v2.1.69 or earlier and still present in v2.1.294. It is listed in the official reference.

Status	Present in v2.1.294
Added	Present since v2.1.69 or earlier
Category	Sessions
Official docs	Listed

How to set it

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

export CLAUDE_AUTO_BACKGROUND_TASKS=<value>
claude

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

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

Release notes that mention it

Related variables

CLAUDE_CODE_AUTO_BACKGROUND_WORKER_CHECKIN_SECONDS
CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_BACKGROUND_TASKS: Disable background tasks entirely.
CLAUDE_CODE_BG_TASKS_REPORT_RUNNING
CLAUDE_CODE_BRIDGE_CHILD_AUTO_DEFAULT
CLAUDE_BG_BACKEND: Set to "daemon" to route background work through a daemon backend.
CLAUDE_BG_ISOLATION: Isolation mode for background agent processes — controls how separated the daemon's process space is from the foreground session.
CLAUDE_BG_RENDEZVOUS_SOCK: Socket path for the IPC channel between a foreground Claude session and the background daemon.
CLAUDE_BG_SOURCE: Tags where a background job originated: CLI, SDK, Remote Control, another agent.

Frequently asked questions

What does CLAUDE_AUTO_BACKGROUND_TASKS do?

Enable automatic background task execution

Which Claude Code version has CLAUDE_AUTO_BACKGROUND_TASKS?

Present since v2.1.69 or earlier and still present in v2.1.294.

How do I set CLAUDE_AUTO_BACKGROUND_TASKS?

Export it before starting Claude Code (export CLAUDE_AUTO_BACKGROUND_TASKS=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.