Who this is for: Security, compliance, and IT reviewers who are assessing Claude for Government for their agency, and administrators who need to explain the product’s runtime behavior.The answers on this page address the security and data-handling questions that come up most often during agency security review, for the Claude Desktop application and for the standalone Claude Code command-line tool, each in its own section. Each answer states what is specific to Claude for Government (the FedRAMP High boundary, the defaults Anthropic applies for government tenants, and the relevant admin portal control), then links to the product documentation for the underlying mechanism. For assurance materials such as the security architecture overview, SOC 2 report, and penetration testing summary, request access through the Anthropic Trust Center.
Claude Desktop
The sections below cover the Claude Desktop application, which offers three ways to work with Claude: Chat for simple conversations, Cowork for longer tasks with a local workspace folder, and Code for software development. For the admin portal and the Compliance API, see the Organization administration and Tenant administration sections.Sandbox and isolation
In Cowork, and for the file-analysis steps in Chat, the Claude Desktop application runs shell commands and model-written code inside a dedicated local virtual machine. In Claude for Government, this sandbox is always the execution path for the code and shell commands that Claude runs in Chat and Cowork. Code sessions run on the workstation itself rather than in the virtual machine, as described under Code in Claude Desktop. For the detailed threat model and isolation design, request the security architecture overview through the Anthropic Trust Center.What does the sandbox isolate, and what runs outside it?
What does the sandbox isolate, and what runs outside it?
What can shell commands in the sandbox reach?
What can shell commands in the sandbox reach?
How are attached folders made available to the sandbox?
How are attached folders made available to the sandbox?
Which file types need the sandbox in Chat?
Which file types need the sandbox in Chat?
Code in Claude Desktop
Code sessions use Claude Code built into the desktop application and run on the user’s workstation itself, not in the virtual machine. The shell commands Claude runs during a Code session execute on the workstation’s own operating system under the user’s own account. On macOS and Linux, those shell commands run inside an operating-system-level sandbox that the application builds from your organization’s Allowed network hosts and Allowed workspace folders settings on the Config page. The sandbox is in place whenever either setting restricts access, which the default configuration does. Inside the sandbox, a command can create or change files only in the session’s folder, the other folders Allowed workspace folders permits, and temporary locations. Unless Block reads outside workspace folders is on, it can read any file on the device that the user’s account can open. By default it runs without asking the user first. A user can exempt specific commands from this sandbox in a Claude Code settings file, and an exempted command runs outside the sandbox under the permission mode the user selects for the session. On Linux, the sandbox requires thebubblewrap and socat packages, so install both on each workstation as described under Set up Linux and WSL2 in the Claude Code documentation. If either package is missing, shell commands run outside the sandbox as they do on Windows.
On macOS and Linux, the sandbox also blocks connections to local Unix sockets. A command that talks to a local agent through a socket, such as git signing a commit with a key held in an SSH agent or a hardware-backed key manager, cannot reach that agent from inside the sandbox. On macOS, a user who needs such a command to work can list the agent’s socket path under sandbox.network.allowUnixSockets in their Claude Code settings file, which keeps the command inside the sandbox. Every sandboxed command in that user’s Code sessions can then ask the agent to sign or authenticate, so this is appropriate only for an agent that asks the user to approve each use, for example with Touch ID, and not for an agent that signs without prompting.
On Linux, the sandbox ignores sandbox.network.allowUnixSockets and has no exception for individual sockets. See Sandbox settings in the Claude Code documentation.
Exempting git commands such as git commit with sandbox.excludedCommands is not a safe way around the socket restriction. A sandboxed command can still change files that git runs during a commit, such as hook scripts kept in the working tree, and an exempted git commit would then run that code outside the sandbox. On macOS, git also cannot reach remotes over SSH from inside the sandbox, so a user who needs to push can use an HTTPS remote whose host is on the Allowed network hosts list, or push from a terminal outside the Code session.
In container-based Linux environments, such as cloud development workspaces, the sandbox can fail to start, and shell commands in Code sessions then fail with a bwrap error. To run Code sessions there, turn off the Shell command sandbox switch under Advanced settings in the Claude Code section of the Config page, at the level that applies to the members who work in those environments, such as a directory group.
The Shell command sandbox switch applies to those members on every device they use, not only in the container workspaces. Shell commands in their Code sessions then run without the sandbox, under the permission mode the user selects for the session, as they do on Windows, and the Allowed network hosts and Allowed workspace folders settings no longer confine what those commands can reach or change. The switch reaches Code sessions in Claude Desktop 2.9939.2 or later. The switch also turns the sandbox off in those members’ sessions in the Claude Code command-line tool.
On Windows, there is no operating-system-level sandbox for Code sessions. Shell commands run directly on the device under the permission mode the user selects for the session and under your agency’s own endpoint and network controls. The Allowed network hosts and Allowed workspace folders settings do not confine what those commands can reach, read, or change.
On every operating system, the application starts a Code session only in a folder that Allowed workspace folders permits when that setting is configured, and Claude’s file reading and editing tools then work only inside the permitted folders. Administrators can also require a prompt on every shell command, in every permission mode, with the Require approval for each command sub-setting on the Shell commands card of the Config page.
Code sessions in Claude for Government run on the local workstation by default. SSH remote sessions are off unless your agency allows specific hosts in Claude Code’s managed settings on the device; see Interaction with Claude Code managed settings on the device. On Windows, Code sessions inside a Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) distribution are not available.
Commands that belong to Claude Code’s terminal interface, such as /sandbox, are not part of Code sessions in the desktop application. See how your configuration reaches Code sessions. If your agency also deploys Claude Code’s own managed settings to the same devices, for example to allow SSH hosts, those settings take precedence over the sandbox policy described above unless they opt in to merging, as that page explains.
Network egress, required domains, and proxies
The desktop application follows the operating system’s proxy settings, and a single allowlist controls outbound network access from Claude’s tools. You manage the allowlist with the Allowed network hosts setting on the Config page.What does the egress allowlist control?
What does the egress allowlist control?
*.example.com, or * to allow all outbound traffic. See Web search and web fetch for the full allowlist semantics.Which domains does Claude Desktop need to reach?
Which domains does Claude Desktop need to reach?
downloads.claude.ai for the agent helper that runs Chat, Cowork, and Code sessions and for the sandbox virtual machine image, which the app fetches at session start when it does not already have them (not required if your agency uses the offline installer variant that bundles both). The app also reaches the hosts listed under Non-essential services in Required egress paths. If traffic is blocked, the app will run without icons, previews, and widgets. For automatic application updates, the required hosts depend on how your agency distributes the client; see the network-requirements table in Telemetry and egress and confirm the update hosts for your deployment before finalizing your allowlist.Can administrators control when Claude Desktop updates?
Can administrators control when Claude Desktop updates?
Does Claude for Government depend on claude.ai or anthropic.com?
Does Claude for Government depend on claude.ai or anthropic.com?
*.claude.ai and *.anthropic.com leaves sign-in and inference working. Blocking *.claude.ai also blocks downloads.claude.ai, which prevents Chat conversations, Cowork tasks, and Code sessions from starting on devices installed with the standard installer unless the app has already downloaded the components they need from that host. App updates often change one or both of those components, and the sandbox virtual machine that runs shell commands in Cowork and Advanced file analysis in Chat then cannot start until the app has downloaded the new versions from that host. Devices installed with the offline installer variant, which includes those components, are not affected. Automatic application updates use hosts under these domains, so an agency that blocks these domains distributes updates itself, as described under Automatic updates.Does blocking claude.ai affect Claude for Government?
Does blocking claude.ai affect Claude for Government?
claude.ai does not affect sign-in or inference; neither uses any host under that domain. A personal Claude account cannot sign in to Claude for Government, and a Claude for Government account cannot sign in to claude.ai, so there is no shared sign-in surface to restrict. If you allow automatic application updates, keep the update hosts listed in the network-requirements table reachable.Is web fetch always checked against the allowlist?
Is web fetch always checked against the allowlist?
Can all traffic route through a single proxy?
Can all traffic route through a single proxy?
Approvals and Auto mode
By default, Claude for Government prompts the user for connector actions, for each web search, and, in Cowork, when Claude asks to add another folder to the session. In Chat and Cowork, Claude’s file tools do not write outside the attached folders and the session’s working folder, as described under Sandbox and isolation. In Cowork, shell commands run without a prompt because they run inside the sandbox virtual machine. Web page fetches run without a prompt in both Chat and Cowork and are checked against the egress allowlist described above. Administrators can require a prompt on every shell command or fetch with the Require approval for each command and Require approval for each fetch sub-settings on the Config page. In Chat on Claude Desktop versions earlier than 2.110.0, every shell command prompts regardless. By default, members cannot switch to Auto mode. When an administrator sets the Auto mode setting to Allowed on the Config page, Claude Desktop offers it in Cowork and in Code sessions, and members can switch the Claude Code command-line tool to it. New Code sessions in Claude Desktop 2.9939.2 or later and new interactive sessions in the Claude Code command-line tool 2.1.283 or later then start in it on models that support Auto mode, unless another mode is chosen. Cowork does not offer a bypass-permissions mode.Can write and send actions be gated behind approval?
Can write and send actions be gated behind approval?
Can Auto mode be disabled when a sensitive connector is attached?
Can Auto mode be disabled when a sensitive connector is attached?
Can individual shell commands be allowlisted enterprise-wide?
Can individual shell commands be allowlisted enterprise-wide?
Can users suppress approval prompts with an Always allow choice?
Can users suppress approval prompts with an Always allow choice?
Connectors
In Claude for Government, connectors fall into three main categories: built-in tools (Web search, Web fetch, and Shell commands), the built-in Microsoft 365 connector, and connectors an administrator adds on the Connectors card of the Config page.Where do connectors run, and where are tokens stored?
Where do connectors run, and where are tokens stored?
Do connectors follow the sandbox egress allowlist?
Do connectors follow the sandbox egress allowlist?
Can artifacts be blocked from calling connectors?
Can artifacts be blocked from calling connectors?
Telemetry and logging
In Claude for Government, Anthropic-bound error and usage telemetry is always disabled. The OpenTelemetry export to your own collector is a separate setting and sends data only to the endpoint you configure.Is there an inline DLP or inspection point?
Is there an inline DLP or inspection point?
What is logged for connector actions and outbound requests?
What is logged for connector actions and outbound requests?
Data storage and retention
In Claude for Government, conversation content stays on the user’s device. If you select content categories in the Telemetry content capture setting on the Config page, Claude Desktop also sends the selected prompt, response, and tool content to your own OpenTelemetry collector, and never to Anthropic. Model requests are proxied through the Claude for Government service to the model endpoint inside the FedRAMP High boundary, and the service records only per-request metadata, not content.Can Anthropic view conversations?
Can Anthropic view conversations?
Where on the device is conversation content stored?
Where on the device is conversation content stored?
%LOCALAPPDATA%\Claude-3p on Windows, ~/Library/Application Support/Claude-3p on macOS, ~/.config/Claude-3p on Linux). Code session transcripts live in Claude Code’s own folder in the user’s home directory (~/.claude/projects). The application does not encrypt these files itself, so encryption at rest depends on the workstation’s full-disk encryption, such as BitLocker, FileVault, or LUKS. The operating system encryption that protects connector credentials, described under Connectors, does not apply to conversation content. User-visible outputs such as artifacts are written separately to the user files directory (default ~/Claude). See User identity and local data for the full list of what each location holds.Is local history kept separate for each organization?
Is local history kept separate for each organization?
deploymentOrganizationUuid key that separates local data by organization in other deployments. That key does not apply to Claude for Government, so leave it out of your configuration profile.Where are files added to a project stored, and are they indexed?
Where are files added to a project stored, and are they indexed?
Can the local data location be changed for backup or sync?
Can the local data location be changed for backup or sync?
Web search and web fetch
How does web search reach the internet?
How does web search reach the internet?
How do administrators enable web search?
How do administrators enable web search?
Why does Chat's web fetch fail with an empty allowlist?
Why does Chat's web fetch fail with an empty allowlist?
Chat and Cowork differences
Are projects available in both Chat and Cowork?
Are projects available in both Chat and Cowork?
Are artifacts available in Chat?
Are artifacts available in Chat?
Where do files that Claude creates go?
Where do files that Claude creates go?
- A folder the user attached to a Cowork task.
- The working folder that each task or conversation has inside the application data directory.
- For artifacts, the user files directory (default
~/Claude).
/tmp, does not appear in any folder on the device.By design, Chat cannot save files to other folders on the device. Claude’s file tools in Chat, and the analysis steps that run in the sandbox when Advanced file analysis in Chat is on (the default), write only to the conversation’s own working folder. For work that should end up in a particular folder, the user can run it as a Cowork task with that folder attached. See Chat in Claude Desktop for what a Chat conversation can reach, and User identity and local data for the folder layout.Claude Code command-line tool
The answers below cover the standalone Claude Code command-line tool when it signs in through Claude for Government, as Connect Claude Code to Claude for Government describes. The Claude Desktop answers above cover Code sessions inside Claude Desktop.Which domains does Claude Code need to reach?
Which domains does Claude Code need to reach?
Does Claude Code send telemetry to Anthropic?
Does Claude Code send telemetry to Anthropic?