CLAUDE_ENABLE_BYTE_WATCHDOG_BEDROCK

Updated October 13, 2026 by Alex Sorokoletov

CLAUDE_ENABLE_BYTE_WATCHDOG_BEDROCK is a Claude Code environment variable: Enable the byte watchdog on Bedrock connections. The watchdog fires when a connection opens but produces no bytes within a window — catching silent stalls that don't produce a connection error. Added between v2.1.138 and v2.1.143 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_ENABLE_BYTE_WATCHDOG_BEDROCK=<value>
claude

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

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

Release notes that mention it

• Claude Code v2.1.143 — 27 New Env Vars, /goal, Agent View, and a Free Model Upgrade

Related variables

• ENABLE_PROMPT_CACHING_1H_BEDROCK: Enable 1-hour prompt caching on Bedrock.
• ANTHROPIC_BEDROCK_BASE_URL: Alternative Bedrock endpoint (alias).
• ANTHROPIC_BEDROCK_MANTLE_BASE_URL
• ANTHROPIC_BEDROCK_REGION_PREFIX
• ANTHROPIC_BEDROCK_SERVICE_TIER
• AWS_BEARER_TOKEN_BEDROCK: Bearer token for Bedrock authentication.
• CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_BEDROCK_CONTENT_TYPE_DEFAULT
• CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_BEDROCK_CONTENT_TYPE_GUARD

Frequently asked questions

All variables, searchable: Claude Code environment variables.