CLAUDE_CODE_IS_COWORK

Updated October 13, 2026 by Alex Sorokoletov

CLAUDE_CODE_IS_COWORK is a Claude Code environment variable: Indicates running in cowork (multi-agent) mode. Present since v2.1.69 or earlier and still present in v2.1.294. It is not in the official reference.

Status	Present in v2.1.294
Added	Present since v2.1.69 or earlier
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_IS_COWORK=<value>
claude

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

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

Release notes that mention it

Related variables

CLAUDE_CODE_COWORK_FRAME_ARTIFACTS
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

Frequently asked questions

What does CLAUDE_CODE_IS_COWORK do?

Indicates running in cowork (multi-agent) mode

Which Claude Code version has CLAUDE_CODE_IS_COWORK?

Present since v2.1.69 or earlier and still present in v2.1.294.

How do I set CLAUDE_CODE_IS_COWORK?

Export it before starting Claude Code (export CLAUDE_CODE_IS_COWORK=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.