[pjungermann]

Summary

A backup run on an up-to-date Claude Code install hit 8 drift entries and refused to continue:

~/.claude/mcp-needs-auth-cache.json
~/.claude/policy-limits.json.signature-iat.json
~/.claude/policy-limits.json.signature.json
~/.claude/remote-settings.json.signature-iat.json
~/.claude/remote-settings.json.signature.json
~/.claude/remote-settings.json.synced-at
~/.claude/state
~/.claude/plugins/plugin-directory-cache-v2.json

Each is a server-signed sidecar, a sync timestamp, a cache, or runtime state that Claude Code regenerates on next launch; none hold anything a user would want on a new laptop. Classifying all 8 as excludes:

• mcp-needs-auth-cache.json — MCP auth lookup cache.
• policy-limits.json.signature{,-iat}.json — signature and issued-at sidecars for the Anthropic-signed policy-limits.json (which was already excluded).
• remote-settings.json.signature{,-iat}.json, .synced-at — same pattern for remote-settings.json.
• state — Claude Code's runtime state directory (one-time dialog flags, onboarding progress, etc.).
• plugins/plugin-directory-cache-v2.json — plugin catalog cache, peer of the already-excluded plugin-catalog-cache.json.

Enumeration kept explicit rather than switching to a prefix match: a genuinely new sidecar name (e.g. a hypothetical .ciphertext.json that would warrant copying) still trips the drift gate instead of being silently swept.

Immediate user-side workaround while this merges: MAC_SETUP_SKIP_PULL=1 ./mac-setup.sh migrate-claude-code backup after editing the catalog locally, or patch the file in place.

[github-actions]

✅MegaLinter analysis: Success

Descriptor	Linter	Files	Fixed	Errors	Max errors	Warnings	Elapsed time
✅ BASH	bash-exec	1		0		0	0.51s
✅ BASH	shellcheck	1		0		0	1.21s
✅ COPYPASTE	jscpd	yes		no		no	0.77s
✅ REPOSITORY	git_diff	yes		no		no	0.01s
✅ SPELL	cspell	2		0		0	2.14s

See detailed reports in MegaLinter artifacts
Set VALIDATE_ALL_CODEBASE: true in mega-linter.yml to validate all sources, not only the diff

Show us your support by starring ⭐ the repository

[github-actions]

✅MegaLinter analysis: Success

Descriptor	Linter	Files	Fixed	Errors	Max errors	Warnings	Elapsed time
✅ BASH	bash-exec	1		0		0	0.01s
✅ BASH	shellcheck	1		0		0	1.0s
✅ REPOSITORY	betterleaks	yes		no		no	0.83s
✅ REPOSITORY	checkov	yes		no		no	22.55s
✅ REPOSITORY	devskim	yes		no		no	2.13s
✅ REPOSITORY	dustilock	yes		no		no	0.02s
✅ REPOSITORY	grype	yes		no		no	98.97s
✅ REPOSITORY	kingfisher	yes		no		no	8.33s
✅ REPOSITORY	osv-scanner	yes		no		no	0.14s
✅ REPOSITORY	secretlint	yes		no		no	1.38s
✅ REPOSITORY	syft	yes		no		no	1.71s
✅ REPOSITORY	trivy	yes		no		no	14.63s
✅ REPOSITORY	trivy-sbom	yes		no		no	0.13s
✅ REPOSITORY	trufflehog	yes		no		no	3.78s

See detailed reports in MegaLinter artifacts
Set VALIDATE_ALL_CODEBASE: true in mega-linter.yml to validate all sources, not only the diff

Show us your support by starring ⭐ the repository