CLAUDE_CODE_SUBAGENT_MODEL_FORCE

Updated October 23, 2026 by Alex Sorokoletov

CLAUDE_CODE_SUBAGENT_MODEL_FORCE is a Claude Code environment variable. Removed in v2.1.310, so current releases ignore it. It is listed in the official reference.

How to set it

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

export CLAUDE_CODE_SUBAGENT_MODEL_FORCE=<value>
claude

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

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

Release notes that mention it

• claude-code-env-vars-v2-1-296

Related variables

• CLAUDE_CODE_SUBAGENT_MODEL: Force a specific model for sub-agent operations.
• CLAUDE_CODE_WORKFLOW_SUBAGENT_MODEL: Runs every workflow agent on the named model while other subagents keep their own.
• CLAUDE_CODE_COORDINATOR_FORCE_WORKER_INHERIT_MODEL
• CLAUDE_CODE_ENABLE_APPEND_SUBAGENT_PROMPT: Authorizes SDK callers to append a custom string to a subagent's system prompt via options.appendSubagentSystemPrompt.
• CLAUDE_CODE_FORK_SUBAGENT: Changelog-confirmed[1]: set to 1 to run subagents as forked processes (v2.1.117 on external builds, v2.1.121 extended to non-interactive SDK/-p sessions).
• CLAUDE_CODE_FORWARD_SUBAGENT_TEXT: Includes subagent text and thinking in stream-json output, paired with a new --forward-subagent-text flag.
• CLAUDE_CODE_MAX_SUBAGENT_SPAWN_DEPTH: Nesting-depth cap on delegation, default 1 — subagents no longer spawn their own subagents, and the team roster stays flat.
• CLAUDE_CODE_SUBAGENT_HISTORY: Gates a subagent history view; when unset the view falls back to the tengu_rustling_crescent feature gate, which is off by default.

Frequently asked questions

All variables, searchable: Claude Code environment variables.