CLAUDE_CODE_EMIT_SESSION_STATE_EVENTS

Updated October 13, 2026 by Alex Sorokoletov

CLAUDE_CODE_EMIT_SESSION_STATE_EVENTS is a Claude Code environment variable: Controls whether Claude Code emits session state change events. This fits the growing SDK and Remote Control infrastructure — external consumers (IDE extensions, web UIs, monitoring tools) need to know when a session transitions between states like thinking, tool use, and idle. Added between v2.1.79 and v2.1.83 and still present in v2.1.294. It is listed in the official reference.

Status	Present in v2.1.294
Added	Added between v2.1.79 and v2.1.83
Category	Sessions
Official docs	Listed

How to set it

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

export CLAUDE_CODE_EMIT_SESSION_STATE_EVENTS=<value>
claude

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

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

Release notes that mention it

Claude Code v2.1.83 — 8 New Environment Variables: Security Hardening and the 40-Fix Mega Release

Related variables

CLAUDE_CODE_SDK_READS_SESSION_STATE
CLAUDE_BRIDGE_REATTACH_SESSION: Session identity used during bridge reconnection.
CLAUDE_CODE_BRIDGE_SESSION_ID
CLAUDE_CODE_CHILD_SESSION
CLAUDE_CODE_FORCE_SESSION_PERSISTENCE
CLAUDE_CODE_POST_FOR_SESSION_INGRESS_V2: Use POST-based session ingress v2.
CLAUDE_CODE_REMOTE_SESSION_ID: Remote session identifier.
CLAUDE_CODE_REMOTE_SESSION_ORIGIN: Provenance tag for cloud/remote sessions, checked against the value "review".

Frequently asked questions

What does CLAUDE_CODE_EMIT_SESSION_STATE_EVENTS do?

Controls whether Claude Code emits session state change events. This fits the growing SDK and Remote Control infrastructure — external consumers (IDE extensions, web UIs, monitoring tools) need to know when a session transitions between states like thinking, tool use, and idle.

Which Claude Code version has CLAUDE_CODE_EMIT_SESSION_STATE_EVENTS?

Added between v2.1.79 and v2.1.83 and still present in v2.1.294.

How do I set CLAUDE_CODE_EMIT_SESSION_STATE_EVENTS?

Export it before starting Claude Code (export CLAUDE_CODE_EMIT_SESSION_STATE_EVENTS=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.