--debug-file
A Claude Code CLI flag, read out of the shipped bundle. It has been in the build since v2.1.138, including the newest one read.
What it is
Write debug logs to a specific file path. Implicitly enables debug mode. Takes precedence over CLAUDE_CODE_DEBUG_LOGS_DIR
Anthropic's own wording. Read off CLI reference, captured 2026-08-28.
Presence across releases
| Releases | Reading | Declared type | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.1.245 – 2.1.250 5 releases | never mined | — | — |
| 2.1.138 – 2.1.243 95 releases | in the build | — | — |
A row reading never mined is a release with no archived bundle behind it. Nothing was read out of it, so nothing here says whether the name was in it. A declared type or a default is only ever what that release's own bundle stated.
Changelog entries naming it
-
v2.1.233plugin eval --verbose now writes traces to the debug log
Eval --verbose now writes traces to the debug log instead of streaming them live.
named in this entry
-
v2.1.227Debug logging rebuilt around a single logger instance
Debug logging now runs through one logger that keeps queued lines when it restarts.
named in this entry
Documentation pages
- CLI reference reference table Claude Code CLI
- Claude apps gateway deployment and operations mentions it Claude Code CLI
- Environment variables mentions it Claude Code CLI
- Hooks reference mentions it Claude Code CLI
- Automate actions with hooks mentions it Claude Code CLI
- Enterprise network configuration mentions it Claude Code CLI
- Configure server-managed settings mentions it Claude Code CLI
A reference table page is one whose own table defines this name, and it is where the description above came from. A page that mentions it carries the name somewhere in its text and may say nothing about it at all. Every page carrying it.
Names beside it
Every CLI flag in the inventory starting --debug, up to twelve of them.
--debugEnable debug mode with optional category filtering, such as --debug='mcp,startup' or --debug='!1p'. The filter binds only in the = form; a space-separated filter enables debug mode without filtering 2.1.138
--debug-to-stderrDebug logging now runs through one logger that keeps queued lines when it restarts. never mined
Read out of the published npm bundle release by release, and out of Anthropic's own documentation as this site captured it. Nothing on this page is a description anybody here wrote about what the CLI flag does. All CLI flags.