CLAUDE_CODE_UNWATCHED_REPLY_HOLD_MS

Updated October 31, 2026 by Alex Sorokoletov

CLAUDE_CODE_UNWATCHED_REPLY_HOLD_MS is a Claude Code environment variable: Number of milliseconds to hold streamed replies for unwatched contexts (subagent, auxiliary, compaction); defaults to 0, meaning no hold. Added in v2.1.311 and still present in v2.1.315. It is not in the official reference.

Status	Present in v2.1.315
Added	Added in v2.1.311
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_UNWATCHED_REPLY_HOLD_MS=<value>
claude

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

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

Related variables

CLAUDE_CODE_HOLD_REPORT_PARK_AT_INIT: Reported a parked turn at initialization, but only when CLAUDE_CODE_RESUME_INTERRUPTED_TURN was also set; read until v2.1.309.
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: Milliseconds before the away-from-keyboard timeout at which the warning countdown begins; defaults to 20000 and is capped at the timeout length.

Frequently asked questions

What does CLAUDE_CODE_UNWATCHED_REPLY_HOLD_MS do?

Number of milliseconds to hold streamed replies for unwatched contexts (subagent, auxiliary, compaction); defaults to 0, meaning no hold.

Which Claude Code version has CLAUDE_CODE_UNWATCHED_REPLY_HOLD_MS?

Added in v2.1.311 and still present in v2.1.315.

How do I set CLAUDE_CODE_UNWATCHED_REPLY_HOLD_MS?

Export it before starting Claude Code (export CLAUDE_CODE_UNWATCHED_REPLY_HOLD_MS=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.