CLAUDE_CODE_USE_VERTEX

Updated October 13, 2026 by Alex Sorokoletov

CLAUDE_CODE_USE_VERTEX is a Claude Code environment variable: Use Google Vertex AI as backend. Present since v2.1.69 or earlier 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_USE_VERTEX=<value>
claude

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

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

Release notes that mention it

• 165 Environment Variables in Claude Code 2.1.69 — What Changed in 50 Versions

Related variables

• ANTHROPIC_VERTEX_BASE_URL
• ANTHROPIC_VERTEX_PROJECT_ID: Google Cloud project ID.
• CLAUDE_CODE_SKIP_VERTEX_AUTH: Skip Vertex AI authentication.
• CLAUDE_CODE_USE_ANTHROPIC_AWS: Selects "Claude Platform on AWS" as the API provider.
• CLAUDE_CODE_USE_ANTHROPIC_GOOGLE_CLOUD: A new provider-backend toggle sitting in Claude Code's exact provider family — beside CLAUDE_CODE_USE_BEDROCK, USE_VERTEX, USE_FOUNDRY, USE_ANTHROPIC_AWS, USE_MANTLE, and USE_GATEWAY — and read by the same guard that suppresses error reporting under a managed provider.
• CLAUDE_CODE_USE_BEDROCK: Use Amazon Bedrock as backend.
• CLAUDE_CODE_USE_FOUNDRY: Use Anthropic Foundry as backend.
• CLAUDE_CODE_USE_MANTLE: Activates Mantle-based authentication for Amazon Bedrock.

Frequently asked questions

All variables, searchable: Claude Code environment variables.