CLAUDE_CODE_SKIP_MCP_DEBUG_LOG_FILES

Updated October 31, 2026 by Alex Sorokoletov

CLAUDE_CODE_SKIP_MCP_DEBUG_LOG_FILES is a Claude Code environment variable: When set to true, skips writing MCP server debug messages to their per-server log files. Added in v2.1.311 and still present in v2.1.315. It is not in the official reference.

How to set it

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

export CLAUDE_CODE_SKIP_MCP_DEBUG_LOG_FILES=<value>
claude

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

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

Related variables

• CLAUDE_CODE_SKIP_PLUGIN_MCP_SERVERS: When set, skips discovering a plugin's MCP servers unless the plugin is exempted through CLAUDE_CODE_SKIP_PLUGIN_MCP_SERVERS_EXCEPT.
• CLAUDE_CODE_SKIP_PLUGIN_MCP_SERVERS_EXCEPT: Comma-separated list of plugins to exempt from the plugin MCP skip flags; an entry containing @ matches the plugin's repository, otherwise its name.
• ENABLE_MCP_LARGE_OUTPUT_FILES: Enable large output files for MCP.
• CLAUDE_CODE_MCP_SKIP_UNCHANGED_RELIST
• CLAUDE_CODE_SKIP_PLUGIN_LOCAL_MCP_SERVERS
• CLAUDE_CODE_SKIP_PLUGIN_MCP_BUNDLES
• CLAUDE_CODE_ARTIFACT_MCP: Enables MCP runtime-capability support for artifacts; on by default.
• CLAUDE_CODE_CHROME_LATE_MCP_SERVER: When true, loads the alternate late Claude-in-Chrome MCP server module and skips installing the Chrome native host early.

Frequently asked questions

All variables, searchable: Claude Code environment variables.