{"version":"2.1.323","anchor":"mcp-serve-memory-walk-deadline-and-gc-degradation-reporting","canonical_anchor":"mcp-serve-memory-walk-deadline-and-gc-degradation-reporting","heading":"Time limit for memory file lookups when Claude Code runs as an MCP server","tier":"use","area":"MCP Server Mode","scope":"individual","heads_up":false,"url":"https:\/\/changelogs.core-directive.com\/v\/2.1.323\/e\/mcp-serve-memory-walk-deadline-and-gc-degradation-reporting","release_url":"https:\/\/changelogs.core-directive.com\/v\/2.1.323","markdown":"### Time limit for memory file lookups when Claude Code runs as an MCP server\n\n`CLAUDE_CODE_MCP_SERVE_MEMORY_WALKS_DEADLINE_MS` limits how long Claude Code searches for memory files when serving tools over MCP; default 2000 ms\n\n**What**\n\nClaude Code can run as an MCP server, offering its tools to another program. In that mode, a new environment variable, `CLAUDE_CODE_MCP_SERVE_MEMORY_WALKS_DEADLINE_MS`, sets how long Claude Code spends looking for memory files in nested folders during a tool call. The default is 2000 milliseconds.\n\nIn the same mode, Claude Code now notes when a shell's working folder has been deleted and created again, and reports more specific reasons when it cannot apply its memory clean-up settings, such as a setting it cannot read or a missing runtime module.\n\n**Why**\n\nThis only matters when Claude Code is running as an MCP server. The time limit stops memory file lookups from holding up tool calls.\n\n- Area: MCP Server Mode\n- Names: `CLAUDE_CODE_MCP_SERVE_MEMORY_WALKS_DEADLINE_MS`\n- Tier: Use it now\n- Useful: 4\/5\n- Signal: 2\/5\n- Scope: individual\n- Heads-up: no"}