Living Guide
Before a Claude Code team rollout, separate training policy from retention
Claude Code’s data rules depend on the account and deployment. For teams sharing repository context, “not used for training” is only one check—not a complete retention or access policy.
Published · Updated · Sources reviewed 2026-09-04
For: Small engineering teams deciding which account and data-handling settings to use for coding agents.
What the documentation distinguishes
Claude Code distinguishes consumer accounts, whose training use depends on the user’s preference, from commercial use, where training is disabled by default unless the customer opts in. It also describes standard commercial retention separately from zero-data-retention arrangements for eligible customers. [data]
Session transcripts can be stored locally, with a documented default retention period of 30 days. A local coding workflow therefore has a local-records question as well as a service-side data question. [data]
The SourceVane decision
SourceVane analysis: Do not approve a repository-wide rollout from a single “no training” checkbox. First identify the account and provider route, then establish retention and local transcript handling. Those are different controls: a training preference does not describe every copy of session data. [data]
For a pilot, designate one owner and a non-sensitive repository. Record the account category, relevant settings, allowed repository content and who may inspect local transcripts. Ask the owner to confirm the applicable service terms before introducing customer or confidential material. This is a proposed rollout checklist, not a certification.
What remains unconfirmed
SourceVane has not inspected your organization’s contract, device backups or provider configuration. This article does not certify compliance or establish that a particular repository is suitable for an external coding service.
Choose by constraint
- A consumer account is being used for team work. Confirm the applicable preference and account policy before sharing repository content.
- A commercial account is available. Review retention and local records separately; do not infer zero retention from a no-training default.
Sources
- Claude Code data usage documentation — Data usage policies; data retention; local storage
How this article was produced
SourceVane reviewed the linked documentation and separated reported facts from editorial interpretation. No hands-on benchmark was performed. External reader feedback has not yet been collected.
Revision history
2026-09-04 — Initial source-reviewed explanation. No hands-on benchmark performed.