[FEATURE] Setting for a default directory for /export

Preflight Checklist

• [x] I have searched existing requests and this feature hasn't been requested yet
• [x] This is a single feature request (not multiple features)

Problem Statement

/export has no setting for where exported conversations go. Every export has to be pointed at a location by hand, either in the save dialog or as an argument. If you export often from different project folders, the transcripts end up scattered and there is no way to set one default folder once.

I checked the current docs for a way to set this and found none:

• The commands reference documents /export [filename]. With a filename it writes to that file. Without one it opens a dialog to copy to the clipboard or save to a file. The location is chosen per invocation only.
• The settings reference has no key that sets an export directory. No key name contains "export" or "save".
• The environment variables page has no variable for it.

Related issues:

• #32031, "Allow configurable output directory for /export command", asked for the same thing. It was closed as NOT_PLANNED by the stale bot after inactivity and is now locked, so this is a new request.
• #27477 asked for a configurable export folder to sync across computers. It was closed as a duplicate of #25762, which covers a different setting.

Proposed Solution

Add a persistent setting for the default export directory, for example in ~/.claude/settings.json:

{
  "exportDirectory": "~/claude-exports"
}

With this set, the /export save dialog opens in that directory, and /export <filename> writes into it. An explicit absolute path still overrides the setting. The key name is only a suggestion.

Alternative Solutions

• Copy the export to the clipboard from the /export dialog, then save it with a small shell script. A community script does this into ~/.claude/projects/<project>/transcripts/, but it takes two steps per export (see #32031).
• Pass a full path on every run, for example /export ~/exports/session.txt. This works but has to be repeated each time.

Priority

Medium - Would be very helpful

Feature Category

Configuration and settings

Use Case Example

1. I run Claude Code from many different project folders.
2. I want every exported transcript in one folder so I can review them later.
3. Today each /export saves wherever I point it, so I have to remember the path or move the file afterwards.
4. With the setting in place once, every export goes to the same folder.

Additional Context

• Claude Code version 2.1.299, macOS (Darwin 25.5.0).
• I searched the anthropics/claude-code issues for export path, export directory, export location, and exportDirectory before filing. #32031 is the closest match.