CLAUDE_PTY_RECORD

Updated October 13, 2026 by Alex Sorokoletov

CLAUDE_PTY_RECORD is a Claude Code environment variable: Enables PTY session recording for a background agent — captures the raw terminal byte stream as a bit-for-bit replay artifact, not just a transcript. Likely used for enterprise audit logging and for debugging non-interactive session failures where a transcript alone loses context. 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	Other
Official docs	Not listed

How to set it

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

export CLAUDE_PTY_RECORD=<value>
claude

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

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

Release notes that mention it

Related variables

CLAUDE_CODE_HOST_PROMPT_SUPERSEDES_RECORD
CLAUDE_PTY_HEARTBEAT_MS
CLAUDE_PTY_HOST_EXEC
CLAUDE_PTY_ORPHAN_CHECK_MS
ANTHROPIC_BETAS: Comma-separated beta feature headers.
ANTHROPIC_CUSTOM_HEADERS: Custom HTTP headers (newline-separated Key: Value).
ANTHROPIC_FEDERATION_RULE_ID
ANTHROPIC_ORGANIZATION_ID

Frequently asked questions

What does CLAUDE_PTY_RECORD do?

Enables PTY session recording for a background agent — captures the raw terminal byte stream as a bit-for-bit replay artifact, not just a transcript. Likely used for enterprise audit logging and for debugging non-interactive session failures where a transcript alone loses context.

Which Claude Code version has CLAUDE_PTY_RECORD?

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

How do I set CLAUDE_PTY_RECORD?

Export it before starting Claude Code (export CLAUDE_PTY_RECORD=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.