CLAUDE_AFTER_LAST_COMPACT

Updated October 23, 2026 by Alex Sorokoletov

CLAUDE_AFTER_LAST_COMPACT is a Claude Code environment variable: Request only conversation logs after last compaction. Present since v2.1.69 or earlier and still present in v2.1.310. It is not in the official reference.

Status	Present in v2.1.310
Added	Present since v2.1.69 or earlier
Category	Context and compaction
Official docs	Not listed

How to set it

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

export CLAUDE_AFTER_LAST_COMPACT=<value>
claude

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

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

Release notes that mention it

Related variables

CLAUDE_CODE_SLEEP_COMPACT_AFTER_MS
CLAUDE_CODE_AUTO_COMPACT_WINDOW: Controls the token window threshold at which automatic context compaction kicks in.
CLAUDE_CODE_IDLE_COMPACT_MIN_TOKENS: Sets the minimum conversation size, in tokens, before idle compaction runs.
DISABLE_AUTO_COMPACT: Disable automatic compaction only (manual /compact still works).
DISABLE_CLAUDE_CODE_SM_COMPACT: Disable session memory compaction.
DISABLE_COMPACT: Disable all compaction (manual + auto).
ENABLE_CLAUDE_CODE_SM_COMPACT: Force enable session memory compaction.
CLAUDE_CODE_AUTO_MODE_COMPACT_THREAD_RULE

Frequently asked questions

What does CLAUDE_AFTER_LAST_COMPACT do?

Request only conversation logs after last compaction

Which Claude Code version has CLAUDE_AFTER_LAST_COMPACT?

Present since v2.1.69 or earlier and still present in v2.1.310.

How do I set CLAUDE_AFTER_LAST_COMPACT?

Export it before starting Claude Code (export CLAUDE_AFTER_LAST_COMPACT=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.