Use a Custom Directory

Overview

By default, Claude Plan Viewer looks for plans in ~/.claude/plans/. If your Claude Code installation uses a different location, you can specify a custom path using the --claude-dir flag or the CLAUDE_DIR environment variable.

CLI Flag

Use --claude-dir (or -c) to specify a custom .claude directory:

claude-plan-viewer --claude-dir /path/to/.claude

Short form:

claude-plan-viewer -c /path/to/.claude

Environment Variable

Set the CLAUDE_DIR environment variable for persistent configuration:

Export (session)

export CLAUDE_DIR=/path/to/.claude
claude-plan-viewer

Inline (one-time)

CLAUDE_DIR=/path/to/.claude claude-plan-viewer

Shell Profile (~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc)

export CLAUDE_DIR=/path/to/.claude

Precedence

When both the CLI flag and environment variable are set, the CLI flag takes precedence:

Configuration	Source Used
Neither set	~/.claude (default)
Only CLAUDE_DIR set	CLAUDE_DIR value
Only --claude-dir set	--claude-dir value
Both set	--claude-dir value

Use Cases

• Non-Standard Installation - Point to a Claude Code installation in a custom location
• Multiple Installations - Switch between different Claude Code configurations
• Network Storage - Access plans stored on a mounted network drive or shared filesystem
• Docker/Container - Mount and access plans from a containerized environment

Examples

Work with external drive

claude-plan-viewer --claude-dir /Volumes/External/.claude

Access shared team plans

claude-plan-viewer --claude-dir /mnt/shared/team-claude

Use with export

claude-plan-viewer --claude-dir /custom/path/.claude --json -o backup.json

TIP

The specified directory should contain plans/ and optionally projects/ subdirectories matching the standard Claude Code structure.