CLAUDE_COWORK_MEMORY_INDEX_CONTENT

Updated October 13, 2026 by Alex Sorokoletov

CLAUDE_COWORK_MEMORY_INDEX_CONTENT is a Claude Code environment variable: Content of the CoWork memory index. Where guidelines set policy, this carries structured summaries agents use to find relevant prior work without replaying full transcripts — the retrieval side of a lightweight inter-agent RAG layer. Added between v2.1.118 and v2.1.123 and still present in v2.1.294. It is not in the official reference.

Status	Present in v2.1.294
Added	Added between v2.1.118 and v2.1.123
Category	Memory and CLAUDE.md
Official docs	Not listed

How to set it

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

export CLAUDE_COWORK_MEMORY_INDEX_CONTENT=<value>
claude

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

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

Release notes that mention it

Related variables

CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_AUTO_MEMORY: Disable automatic memory (MEMORY.md).
CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_ORG_MEMORY: Kill switch for a new organization-scoped memory subsystem.
CLAUDE_CODE_MEMORY_PUSH_DELETE_MODE: Controls how deletions propagate when memory is pushed upstream — a delete-mode knob for the memory subsystem that gained account- and organization-scoped sync in v2.1.210 (CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_ORG_MEMORY, gate tengu_haze_glass).
CLAUDE_CODE_REMOTE_MEMORY_DIR: Memory directory for remote sessions.
CLAUDE_MEMORY_STORES: Configure which memory backends are active.
CLAUDE_BG_AUTO_MEMORY_OFF
CLAUDE_BG_MEMORY_TOGGLED_OFF
CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_MEMORY_BULK_INFLATE

Frequently asked questions

What does CLAUDE_COWORK_MEMORY_INDEX_CONTENT do?

Content of the CoWork memory index. Where guidelines set policy, this carries structured summaries agents use to find relevant prior work without replaying full transcripts — the retrieval side of a lightweight inter-agent RAG layer.

Which Claude Code version has CLAUDE_COWORK_MEMORY_INDEX_CONTENT?

Added between v2.1.118 and v2.1.123 and still present in v2.1.294.

How do I set CLAUDE_COWORK_MEMORY_INDEX_CONTENT?

Export it before starting Claude Code (export CLAUDE_COWORK_MEMORY_INDEX_CONTENT=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.