# Claude Code leaves 5GB error logs in temp folder after task timeouts

Digest AI · Hardware & Compute · published 2026-11-04T02:19:00Z

Canonical: https://digestai.news/story/claude-code-leaves-5gb-error-logs-in-temp-folder-after-task-timeouts

## Summary

A user’s C drive free space dropped to 1.8GB after Claude Code, an AI tool, generated a 5GB error log in its temporary folder. The log resulted from a background task that timed out after 10 minutes and kept writing the same error (`OSError: [WinError 123]`) until it hit the 5GB limit, at which point it stopped but left the file intact. The user found three such files—from November 2nd and November 4th—all tied to failed background tasks that exceeded the 5GB threshold but weren’t automatically cleaned up.

Claude Code’s temporary files are stored in `%TEMP%laude	asks` on Windows. The user used PowerShell to sort files by size and confirmed the logs were safe to delete. After manually removing the files, free space rebounded from 1.2GB to 6.2GB. The user also set up AI-driven alerts to notify them when free space drops below 50GB and to pause heavy tasks if space falls under 30GB, preventing future disruptions. The tool’s documentation notes that timed-out tasks continue running in the background, but it does not automatically delete failed logs.

## Key points

- Claude Code left a 5GB error log in its temp folder after a background task timed out and failed repeatedly
- Three such files were found, all from November 2nd and 4th, none automatically removed by the tool
- Users can check `%TEMP%laude	asks` for large `.output` files and delete them manually via PowerShell or File Explorer

## Why it matters

This highlights a hidden risk of AI tools running background tasks: unchecked logs can fill up system storage without user awareness. Small businesses and developers relying on AI tools need to monitor temp folders for such files to avoid disruptions.

## Sources

1. [C drive free space down to 1.8GB. The culprit was a 5GB error log written in the background by AI](https://note.com/dedenote00/n/n612eaa0b118d?hl=en) (note.com, 2026-11-04)

## Cite

Digest AI, "Claude Code leaves 5GB error logs in temp folder after task timeouts", 4 November 2026, https://digestai.news/story/claude-code-leaves-5gb-error-logs-in-temp-folder-after-task-timeouts

---

Written by Digest AI's editorial model from the linked sources; the sources are the record. Headlines, digests and key points are written by Digest AI and may be quoted with a link to the story page. Linked articles belong to their publishers. Terms: https://digestai.news/terms#reuse
JSON: https://digestai.news/story/claude-code-leaves-5gb-error-logs-in-temp-folder-after-task-timeouts.json