CLAUDE_CODE_HOST_SKILL_CATALOG

Updated October 13, 2026 by Alex Sorokoletov

CLAUDE_CODE_HOST_SKILL_CATALOG is a Claude Code environment variable: A JSON object ({"skills": [...]}) of 1 to 64 folder names that scopes which synced claude.ai skills a remote session loads. It is read only when a remote session id is set, and is ignored with a warning if the shape is wrong. Added in v2.1.292. Added in v2.1.292 and still present in v2.1.294. It is not in the official reference.

Status	Present in v2.1.294
Added	Added in v2.1.292
Category	Plugins and skills
Official docs	Not listed

How to set it

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

export CLAUDE_CODE_HOST_SKILL_CATALOG=<value>
claude

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

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

Release notes that mention it

Related variables

CLAUDE_API_SKILL_DESCRIPTION: Registration hook for the built-in "claude-api" skill that bundles Anthropic SDK docs (Python, TypeScript, Java, Go, Ruby, PHP, C#, curl) plus shared references on models, prompt caching, managed agents, and tool use.
CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_CLAUDE_API_SKILL: Disables the built-in Claude API skill.
CLAUDE_CODE_DESKTOP_SKILL_SWITCHES
CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_CLAUDE_CODE_SKILL
CLAUDE_CODE_SKILL_ATTRIBUTION
CLAUDE_CODE_SKILL_DESC_REFRAME
CLAUDE_CODE_SKILL_DESCRIPTION
CLAUDE_CODE_SKILL_NAME

Frequently asked questions

What does CLAUDE_CODE_HOST_SKILL_CATALOG do?

A JSON object ({"skills": [...]}) of 1 to 64 folder names that scopes which synced claude.ai skills a remote session loads. It is read only when a remote session id is set, and is ignored with a warning if the shape is wrong. Added in v2.1.292.

Which Claude Code version has CLAUDE_CODE_HOST_SKILL_CATALOG?

Added in v2.1.292 and still present in v2.1.294.

How do I set CLAUDE_CODE_HOST_SKILL_CATALOG?

Export it before starting Claude Code (export CLAUDE_CODE_HOST_SKILL_CATALOG=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.