CLAUDE_CODE_PACKAGE_MANAGER_AUTO_UPDATE

Updated October 13, 2026 by Alex Sorokoletov

CLAUDE_CODE_PACKAGE_MANAGER_AUTO_UPDATE is a Claude Code environment variable: Control whether Claude Code auto-updates itself. If you manage Claude Code versions centrally (fleet policy, pinned version in a Dockerfile, corp registry), turn this off so Claude Code doesn't self-update out from under your managed version. If you're solo and just want the latest always, leave it on or default. Added between v2.1.128 and v2.1.138 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_PACKAGE_MANAGER_AUTO_UPDATE=<value>
claude

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

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

Release notes that mention it

• Claude Code v2.1.143 — 27 New Env Vars, /goal, Agent View, and a Free Model Upgrade

Related variables

• CLAUDE_CODE_ARTIFACT_AUTO_OPEN
• 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

All variables, searchable: Claude Code environment variables.