Troubleshooting · Claude Code

Claude Code API Error 429 (rate_limit_error) — Cause and Fix

Claude Code prints API Error: 429 rate_limit_error when per-minute throughput is exhausted. What the limit actually is, why parallel agents trigger it, and how to fix it.

What you see

API Error: 429 {"type":"error","error":{"type":"rate_limit_error","message":"This request would exceed your organization's rate limit of 80,000 input tokens per minute. Please reduce the prompt length or the maximum tokens requested, or try again later."}}

Why it happens

  • The per-minute token or request ceiling on the API organization behind your key was exceeded. The number in the message is that organization's own limit, so it differs between accounts.
  • Several Claude Code sessions or subagents running in parallel against the same key — each one resends its whole context every turn, so bursts add up faster than they look.
  • A single very large context can exceed a per-minute token budget on its own, which is why the message suggests shortening the prompt as well as waiting.
  • Retries piling on top of the burst that caused the first 429, enlarging it instead of draining it.

How to fix it

  • Wait out the minute window — Claude Code retries automatically and honours Retry-After. If it keeps recurring, reduce how many sessions share one key.
  • Shrink what each turn carries: /compact an oversized conversation, or start a fresh session instead of dragging a long history along.
  • Do not confuse this with "Claude usage limit reached" — that is a subscription cap with a reset time, not per-minute throughput. The fixes are different.
  • If you consistently need more throughput than the key's organization allows, that is a capacity conversation, not a retry problem — raise it with your provider.

Related searches

  • claude code api error 429
  • claude code rate limit error

FAQ

Does API Error 429 in Claude Code mean my subscription ran out?+
No. A 429 is per-minute throughput on an API key. A subscription running out shows as "Claude usage limit reached" with a reset time instead.
Does Claude Code retry a 429 by itself?+
Yes — it backs off and retries automatically. If the error persists, the burst is being refilled faster than the window drains, usually by parallel sessions on the same key.
Why does one huge prompt cause a 429 on its own?+
Rate limits are counted in tokens per minute, and a single oversized context can spend the whole minute's budget in one request.

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