GitHub issue #1455 in anthropics/claude-code, opened 2025-05-31 by jennifgcrl, records a report that Claude Code writes its cache data and configs to ~/.claude.json and ~/.claude instead of following the XDG Base Directory specification; the reporter notes CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR can redirect some files but states the default behavior without configuration should follow the XDG specification.
Verbatim Excerpts from Cited Records
“Claude Code writes its cache data and configs to ~/.claude.json and ~/.claude instead of following the [XDG Base Directory specification](https://specifications.freedesktop.org/basedir-spec/latest/).”
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anthropics/claude-code (issue 1455 opening body, Bug Description section)
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2025-05-31T06:08:12Z
·GitHub Issue ↗
“It looks like you can kinda get claude code to put some file in `CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR` but the default behavior without configuration should be to follow the XDG specification.”
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anthropics/claude-code (issue 1455 opening body, Bug Description section)
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2025-05-31T06:08:12Z
·GitHub Issue ↗
“creates ~/.claude.json and ~/.claude directory”
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anthropics/claude-code (issue 1455 opening body, Actual Behavior section)
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2025-05-31T06:08:12Z
·GitHub Issue ↗
Counter-record: Issue remains open as of 2026-10-18 with 70 comments discussing the report; the opening body itself documents a partial workaround (CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR). Individual comments were not reviewed for this claim; no maintainer resolution of the report was verified in the opening record.
Falsification probe: If issue #1455 is deleted without archive, if the author edits the opening body so the quoted sentences no longer match verbatim, or if the author/maintainers post a definitive retraction showing the described behavior was mischaracterized, this claim drops to Withdrawn.
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