CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_BACKGROUND_TASKS

Updated October 13, 2026 by Alex Sorokoletov

CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_BACKGROUND_TASKS is a Claude Code environment variable: Disable background tasks entirely. Present since v2.1.69 or earlier and still present in v2.1.294. It is listed in the official reference.

How to set it

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

export CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_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_CODE_DISABLE_BACKGROUND_TASKS": "<value>"
  }
}

Release notes that mention it

• 165 Environment Variables in Claude Code 2.1.69 — What Changed in 50 Versions

Related variables

• CLAUDE_AUTO_BACKGROUND_TASKS: Enable automatic background task execution.
• CLAUDE_CODE_AUTO_BACKGROUND_WORKER_CHECKIN_SECONDS
• CLAUDE_CODE_BG_TASKS_REPORT_RUNNING
• CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_BG_EXIT_HANDOFF
• 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

All variables, searchable: Claude Code environment variables.