[DOCS] Settings reference says `cleanupPeriodDays: 0` disables persistence instead of failing validation

Documentation Type

Incorrect/outdated documentation

Documentation Location

https://code.claude.com/docs/en/settings

Section/Topic

Available settings table entry for cleanupPeriodDays

Current Documentation

The settings reference currently says:

settings.json supports a number of options: | cleanupPeriodDays | Sessions inactive for longer than this period are deleted at startup (default: 30 days). Setting to 0 deletes all existing transcripts at startup and disables session persistence entirely. No new .jsonl files are written, /resume shows no conversations, and hooks receive an empty transcript_path. | 20 |

What's Wrong or Missing?

Changelog v2.1.89 says:

Changed cleanupPeriodDays: 0 in settings.json to be rejected with a validation error — it previously silently disabled transcript persistence

The settings page still documents the pre-v2.1.89 behavior as if 0 were a supported value. A reader who follows the current docs will set an invalid value and get a validation error instead of the documented behavior.

The page also does not explain what the accepted lower bound is now that 0 is rejected.

Suggested Improvement

Update the cleanupPeriodDays row to match v2.1.89 behavior:

• Remove the text saying 0 deletes transcripts, suppresses new .jsonl files, hides /resume, and empties transcript_path.
• State clearly that cleanupPeriodDays: 0 is rejected with a validation error.
• Clarify the accepted value range or minimum supported value for cleanupPeriodDays.
• If Anthropic wants to document a supported way to avoid session persistence, document that separately instead of treating cleanupPeriodDays: 0 as the switch.

Impact

Medium - Makes feature difficult to understand

Additional Context

Affected Pages:

| Page | Line(s) | Context |
|------|---------|---------|
| https://code.claude.com/docs/en/settings | 175 | cleanupPeriodDays still says 0 disables transcript persistence instead of failing validation |

Total scope: 1 page affected

Source: Changelog v2.1.89

Exact changelog entry:

Changed cleanupPeriodDays: 0 in settings.json to be rejected with a validation error — it previously silently disabled transcript persistence