CLAUDE_BG_AUTH_SNAPSHOT_PATH

Updated October 13, 2026 by Alex Sorokoletov

CLAUDE_BG_AUTH_SNAPSHOT_PATH is a Claude Code environment variable: Path for snapshotting background session auth credentials to disk. Fixes the failure mode where a background session lost auth mid-run and corrupted its state — v2.1.143's "corrupt credentials handling" fix is backed by this var. Added between v2.1.138 and v2.1.143 and still present in v2.1.294. It is not in the official reference.

Status	Present in v2.1.294
Added	Added between v2.1.138 and v2.1.143
Category	Authentication
Official docs	Not listed

How to set it

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

export CLAUDE_BG_AUTH_SNAPSHOT_PATH=<value>
claude

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

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

Release notes that mention it

Related variables

ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN: Alternative bearer token; takes priority over API key.
CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_AUTH_REFRESH_LOCK: Turns off the lock that coordinates a GCP or AWS credential refresh across processes.
CLAUDE_CODE_ENABLE_PROXY_AUTH_HELPER: Set to "1" to enable the proxy auth helper subsystem.
CLAUDE_CODE_PROXY_AUTH_HELPER_TTL_MS: Cache TTL for helper-returned credentials.
CLAUDE_CODE_WEBSOCKET_AUTH_FILE_DESCRIPTOR: File descriptor for WebSocket credentials.
CLAUDE_BG_CLAIM_AUTH
CLAUDE_BG_PTY_AUTH
CLAUDE_BG_RV_AUTH

Frequently asked questions

What does CLAUDE_BG_AUTH_SNAPSHOT_PATH do?

Path for snapshotting background session auth credentials to disk. Fixes the failure mode where a background session lost auth mid-run and corrupted its state — v2.1.143's "corrupt credentials handling" fix is backed by this var.

Which Claude Code version has CLAUDE_BG_AUTH_SNAPSHOT_PATH?

Added between v2.1.138 and v2.1.143 and still present in v2.1.294.

How do I set CLAUDE_BG_AUTH_SNAPSHOT_PATH?

Export it before starting Claude Code (export CLAUDE_BG_AUTH_SNAPSHOT_PATH=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.