Application data and privacy

Beyond config you author, ~/.claude holds data Claude Code writes during sessions — in plaintext. Anything that passes through a tool lands in a transcript on disk: file contents, command output, pasted text. If a tool reads a .env file, that value is in the transcript.

Transcripts, file snapshots, plans, and caches are cleaned up automatically after cleanupPeriodDays (default 30). history.jsonl (every prompt you've typed) and stats-cache.json persist until you delete them.

To reduce exposure: lower cleanupPeriodDays, set CLAUDE_CODE_SKIP_PROMPT_HISTORY, and use permission rules to deny reads of credential files. To wipe one project's state:

terminal

# preview the deletion plan
claude project purge ~/work/my-repo --dry-run

# delete with confirmation
claude project purge ~/work/my-repo

# everything, non-interactive
claude project purge --all --yes

Do not delete

~/.claude.json, ~/.claude/settings.json, and ~/.claude/plugins/ hold your auth, preferences, and installed plugins.

Hands-on in your own terminal

This lesson ran in a simulated terminal. Work through it hands-on in your own terminal instead — the commands are safe to run in any repository.

• Preview a purge without deleting anything — claude project purge ~/work/my-repo --dry-run

Commands used in this lesson: claude project purge ~/work/my-repo --dry-run, claude project purge ~/work/my-repo

Check your understanding

Question 1How are transcripts protected at rest?

AAES encryptionBThey are not encrypted — OS file permissions are the only protectionCCloud KMSDThey are never written

Question 2What does claude project purge --dry-run do?

ADeletes silentlyBPrints the deletion plan without removing anythingCPurges only cachesDResets settings

Further reading

• Application data