{"name":"CLAUDE_AUTO_BACKGROUND_TASKS","slug":"claude-auto-background-tasks","family":"env","title":"Environment variables","noun":"environment variable","description":"Set to `1` to force-enable automatic backgrounding of long-running agent tasks. When enabled, subagents are moved to the background after running for approximately two minutes. Also enables [automatic backgrounding of long MCP tool calls](\/docs\/en\/mcp#automatic-backgrounding-of-long-tool-calls) in non-interactive mode on Claude Code v2.1.212 or later","description_source":"docs","described_by":{"doc":"claude-code\/env-vars","title":"Environment variables"},"presence":{"first_seen":"2.1.138","removed_in":null,"in_current_build":true,"newest_mined":"2.1.308","builds":149,"mined_builds":149,"first_cited":{"version":"2.1.296","released_at":"2026-10-09 16:58:10","spans":1}},"aliases":[],"entries":[{"version":"2.1.296","anchor":"claude-auto-background-tasks-is-now-read-from-a-config-objec","heading":"CLAUDE_AUTO_BACKGROUND_TASKS is now read from Claude Code's own configuration","line":"Claude Code now reads `CLAUDE_AUTO_BACKGROUND_TASKS` from its own configuration values instead of straight from the shell environment","released_at":"2026-10-09 16:58:10","reason":"found in this entry's text, named in this entry"},{"version":"2.1.290","anchor":"background-subagent-follow-up-foreground-subagents-moved-to","heading":"Foreground subagents move to the background when you queue a message","line":"With CLAUDE_AUTO_BACKGROUND_TASKS set, running foreground subagents move to the background when you have a queued message waiting","released_at":"2026-10-05 18:12:44","reason":"found in this entry's text, named in this entry"},{"version":"2.1.287","anchor":"auto-background-task-check-simplified","heading":"Fewer conditions decide when commands move to the background automatically","line":"The check for automatically running commands in the background has dropped two conditions and replaced its non-interactive test","released_at":"2026-10-01 16:59:25","reason":"found in this entry's text, named in this entry"},{"version":"2.1.283","anchor":"worker-check-in-interval-becomes-an-escalating-schedule-via","heading":"Worker check-ins now follow a schedule set by CLAUDE_CODE_WORKER_CHECKIN_SCHEDULE","line":"One schedule variable replaces the two single-interval check-in variables, and setting the old ones no longer changes anything","released_at":"2026-09-25 18:46:11","reason":"found in this entry's text"}],"entries_total":4,"docs":[{"source":"claude-code","path":"env-vars","title":"Environment variables","documented":true},{"source":"claude-code","path":"changelog","title":"Claude Code changelog","documented":false},{"source":"claude-code","path":"mcp","title":"Connect Claude Code to tools via MCP","documented":false}],"docs_total":3,"gates":[],"related":[{"name":"CLAUDE_AUTOCOMPACT_PCT_OVERRIDE","slug":"claude-autocompact-pct-override","description":"Set the percentage (1-100) of the auto-compact window at which auto-compaction triggers. Use lower values like `50` to compact earlier; the variable can't raise the threshold, so values above the default percentage are ignored. It applies only in sessions that [compact before the model's context limit](\/docs\/en\/model-config#context-window-and-auto-compaction). Applies to both main conversations and subagents"}],"url":"https:\/\/changelogs.core-directive.com\/reference\/env\/claude-auto-background-tasks","family_url":"https:\/\/changelogs.core-directive.com\/reference\/env.json"}