CLAUDE_CODE_EXECPATH

Updated October 13, 2026 by Alex Sorokoletov

CLAUDE_CODE_EXECPATH is a Claude Code environment variable: Overrides the detected executable path for the Claude Code binary. This matters in environments where the binary is symlinked, wrapped in a shell script, or installed in a non-standard location. Added in v2.1.92 and still present in v2.1.294. It is not in the official reference.

Status	Present in v2.1.294
Added	Added in v2.1.92
Category	Other
Official docs	Not listed

How to set it

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

export CLAUDE_CODE_EXECPATH=<value>
claude

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

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

Release notes that mention it

Related variables

ANTHROPIC_BETAS: Comma-separated beta feature headers.
ANTHROPIC_CUSTOM_HEADERS: Custom HTTP headers (newline-separated Key: Value).
ANTHROPIC_FEDERATION_RULE_ID
ANTHROPIC_ORGANIZATION_ID
ANTHROPIC_WORKSPACE_ID
BETA_TRACING_ENDPOINT: Custom endpoint for beta tracing.
CLAUDE_AFK_COUNTDOWN_MS
CLAUDE_AI_ORIGIN: Overrides the base URL for Claude AI authentication endpoints.

Frequently asked questions

What does CLAUDE_CODE_EXECPATH do?

Overrides the detected executable path for the Claude Code binary. This matters in environments where the binary is symlinked, wrapped in a shell script, or installed in a non-standard location.

Which Claude Code version has CLAUDE_CODE_EXECPATH?

Added in v2.1.92 and still present in v2.1.294.

How do I set CLAUDE_CODE_EXECPATH?

Export it before starting Claude Code (export CLAUDE_CODE_EXECPATH=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.