CLAUDE_BG_CLAIM_AUTH

Updated October 14, 2026 by Alex Sorokoletov

CLAUDE_BG_CLAIM_AUTH is a Claude Code environment variable. Added between v2.1.143 and v2.1.212 and still present in v2.1.295. It is not in the official reference.

Status	Present in v2.1.295
Added	Added between v2.1.143 and v2.1.212
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_CLAIM_AUTH=<value>
claude

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

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

Related variables

ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN: Alternative bearer token; takes priority over API key.
CLAUDE_BG_AUTH_SNAPSHOT_PATH: Path for snapshotting background session auth credentials to disk.
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_PTY_AUTH
CLAUDE_BG_RV_AUTH

Frequently asked questions

Which Claude Code version has CLAUDE_BG_CLAIM_AUTH?

Added between v2.1.143 and v2.1.212 and still present in v2.1.295.

How do I set CLAUDE_BG_CLAIM_AUTH?

Export it before starting Claude Code (export CLAUDE_BG_CLAIM_AUTH=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.