CLAUDE_CODE_RETRY_WATCHDOG

Updated October 13, 2026 by Alex Sorokoletov

CLAUDE_CODE_RETRY_WATCHDOG is a Claude Code environment variable: Tunes the retry watchdog that detects API calls silently looping without progress. v2.1.123 fixed an OAuth 401 retry loop when CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_EXPERIMENTAL_BETAS=1 — this variable configures the watchdog's timeout and backoff. Added between v2.1.114 and v2.1.117 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_RETRY_WATCHDOG=<value>
claude

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

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

Release notes that mention it

• Claude Code v2.1.123 — Background Daemons, Agent Fleets, and CoWork Memory
• Claude Code v2.1.118 — 10 New Environment Variables: Forked Subagents Ship, Subscription Tiering Takes Shape

Related variables

• CLAUDE_CODE_RETRY_WATCHDOG_MAX_WAIT_MS
• CLAUDE_CODE_OVERLOADED_RETRY_BASE_DELAY_MS: Sets the base delay, in milliseconds, for the backoff when a request comes back overloaded (HTTP 529).
• CLAUDE_CODE_OVERLOADED_RETRY_MAX_DELAY_MS
• CLAUDE_ENABLE_BYTE_WATCHDOG: Activates a byte-level watchdog on API response streams.
• CLAUDE_ENABLE_STREAM_WATCHDOG: Enable stream health monitoring.
• CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_REFUSAL_RETRY
• ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL: Custom endpoint for Anthropic services.
• API_FORCE_IDLE_TIMEOUT

Frequently asked questions

All variables, searchable: Claude Code environment variables.