Task tool creates tmpclaude-* temp files in working directory that aren't cleaned up

Resolved 💬 2 comments Opened Jan 13, 2026 by nikhilchowdhury-nixet Closed Feb 26, 2026

Problem

When using the Task tool to spawn subagents, Claude Code creates temporary files named tmpclaude-XXXX-cwd in the current working directory. These files:

  1. Are created in the repo directory (pollutes the codebase)
  2. Are NOT automatically cleaned up after task completion
  3. Accumulate over time (I had 250+ files)

Expected Behavior

  • Temp files should be created in system temp directory (/tmp, %TEMP%, etc.)
  • Temp files should be automatically deleted after task completes
  • Or at minimum, provide a config option for temp file location

Current Workaround

Added a PostToolUse hook to clean up:

{
  "hooks": {
    "PostToolUse": [
      {
        "matcher": "Task",
        "hooks": [
          {
            "type": "command", 
            "command": "find . -name 'tmpclaude*' -type f -delete 2>/dev/null || true"
          }
        ]
      }
    ]
  }
}

Environment

  • OS: Windows (MINGW64)
  • Claude Code version: Latest

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