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# How to add TTLs to your application

<Tip>
  **Prerequisites**
  This guide assumes familiarity with [LangSmith](/langsmith/home), [Persistence](/oss/python/langgraph/persistence), and [Cross-thread persistence](/oss/python/langgraph/persistence#memory-store) concepts.
</Tip>

LangSmith persists both [checkpoints](/oss/python/langgraph/persistence#checkpoints) (thread state) and [cross-thread memories](/oss/python/langgraph/persistence#memory-store) (store items). Configure Time-to-Live (TTL) policies in `langgraph.json` to automatically manage the lifecycle of this data, preventing indefinite accumulation.

## Configuring checkpoint TTL

Checkpoints capture the state of conversation threads. Setting a TTL ensures old checkpoints and threads are automatically deleted.

Add a `checkpointer.ttl` configuration to your `langgraph.json` file:

```json theme={null}
{
  "dependencies": ["."],
  "graphs": {
    "agent": "./agent.py:graph"
  },
  "checkpointer": {
    "ttl": {
      "strategy": "delete",
      "sweep_interval_minutes": 60,
      "default_ttl": 43200
    }
  }
}
```

* `strategy`: Specifies the action taken on expiration. Currently, only `"delete"` is supported, which deletes all checkpoints in the thread upon expiration.
* `sweep_interval_minutes`: Defines how often, in minutes, the system checks for expired checkpoints.
* `default_ttl`: Sets the default lifespan of threads (and corresponding checkpoints) in minutes (e.g., 43200 minutes = 30 days). Applies only to checkpoints created after this configuration is deployed; existing checkpoints/threads are not changed. To clear older data, delete it explicitly.

## Configuring store item TTL

Store items allow cross-thread data persistence. Configuring TTL for store items helps manage memory by removing stale data.

Add a `store.ttl` configuration to your `langgraph.json` file:

```json theme={null}
{
  "dependencies": ["."],
  "graphs": {
    "agent": "./agent.py:graph"
  },
  "store": {
    "ttl": {
      "refresh_on_read": true,
      "sweep_interval_minutes": 120,
      "default_ttl": 10080
    }
  }
}
```

* `refresh_on_read`: (Optional, default `true`) If `true`, accessing an item via `get` or `search` resets its expiration timer. If `false`, TTL only refreshes on `put`.
* `sweep_interval_minutes`: (Optional) Defines how often, in minutes, the system checks for expired items. If omitted, no sweeping occurs.
* `default_ttl`: (Optional) Sets the default lifespan of store items in minutes (e.g., 10080 minutes = 7 days). Applies only to items created after this configuration is deployed; existing items are not changed. If you need to clear older items, delete them manually. If omitted, items do not expire by default.

## Combining TTL configurations

You can configure TTLs for both checkpoints and store items in the same `langgraph.json` file to set different policies for each data type. Here is an example:

```json theme={null}
{
  "dependencies": ["."],
  "graphs": {
    "agent": "./agent.py:graph"
  },
  "checkpointer": {
    "ttl": {
      "strategy": "delete",
      "sweep_interval_minutes": 60,
      "default_ttl": 43200
    }
  },
  "store": {
    "ttl": {
      "refresh_on_read": true,
      "sweep_interval_minutes": 120,
      "default_ttl": 10080
    }
  }
}
```

## Configure per-thread TTL

You can apply [TTL configurations per-thread](https://reference.langchain.com/python/langsmith/deployment/sdk/#langgraph_sdk.client.ThreadsClient.create).

```python theme={null}
thread = await client.threads.create(
    ttl={
        "strategy": "delete",
        "ttl": 43200  # 30 days in minutes
    }
)
```

## Runtime overrides

The default `store.ttl` settings from `langgraph.json` can be overridden at runtime by providing specific TTL values in SDK method calls like `get`, `put`, and `search`.

## Deployment process

After configuring TTLs in `langgraph.json`, deploy or restart your LangGraph application for the changes to take effect. Use `langgraph dev` for local development or `langgraph up` for Docker deployment.

See the [langgraph.json CLI reference](https://langchain-ai.github.io/langgraph/reference/configuration/#configuration-file) for more details on the other configurable options.

***

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