{"version":"2.1.285","anchor":"background-sessions-gain-claude-bg-auto-memory-off-env-passt","canonical_anchor":"sticky-background-session-env-var-claude-bg-auto-memory-off","heading":"Auto-memory can be off for a session, carries into background sessions, and pause messages changed","tier":"notice","area":"Sessions","url":"https:\/\/changelogs.core-directive.com\/v\/2.1.285\/e\/background-sessions-gain-claude-bg-auto-memory-off-env-passt","release_url":"https:\/\/changelogs.core-directive.com\/v\/2.1.285","markdown":"### Auto-memory can be off for a session, carries into background sessions, and pause messages changed\n\nA new per-session auto-memory-off state gets its own notice, passes to background sessions, and pause messages now say only the user can resume\n\n**Unclear.** The code that reads this variable was not found.\n\n**What**\n\nAuto-memory is Claude Code saving and reading notes about you and your work between sessions. Next to the existing pause, there is now a separate \"auto-memory off for this session\" state:\n\n- New session state `autoMemoryOffThisSession` and `restoredAutoMemoryOff`, alongside the existing `memoryToggledOff`, plus a new notice with the key `session-auto-memory-off` next to `memory-paused`. A new message begins \"Memory is still paused from\".\n\n- Background sessions, which are other Claude Code sessions started to run on their own, now receive `CLAUDE_BG_AUTO_MEMORY_OFF` next to `CLAUDE_BG_MEMORY_TOGGLED_OFF`. It is added to three allow-lists and cleared in the background-session environment cleanup, so an off state appears to carry over from the session that started it.\n\n- The agents-view handoff passes `autoMemoryOffThisSession` too.\n\n- The SDK description of `auto_memory.enabled` now says it is on for every session and is not turned off by an environment variable, launch flag, safe mode or per-model switch.\n\n- Messages when memory is paused: \"Cannot write to memory while it is paused for this session; only the user can turn it back on.\" and \"Cannot read memory while it is paused for this session; only the user can turn it back on.\" They no longer tell Claude to run `\/pause-memory`.\n\n- `\/pause-memory` (also `memory-pause` and `toggle-memory`) may now be hidden, depending on a check. When resuming is possible it says \"Run \/pause-memory again to resume.\"; otherwise it says the session cannot turn memory back on.\n\nSeparately, a check of MCP servers (helper programs that give Claude extra tools) now also counts servers of type `cached`, not only `connected` and `pending`.\n\n**Why**\n\nTurning auto-memory off now has a clear state of its own, with its own notice, and background sessions started from that session appear to keep it off. The new messages stop Claude from telling you to run a command it cannot run itself.\n\n- Area: Sessions\n- Names: `CLAUDE_BG_AUTO_MEMORY_OFF`\n- Tier: You'll notice\n- Useful: 3\/5\n- Signal: 3\/5"}