Troubleshooting · Claude Code

Claude usage limit reached in Claude Code — Reset Time and Options

Claude Code shows "Claude usage limit reached. Your limit will reset at…" on subscription plans. What the cap actually counts, when it resets, and how pay-as-you-go API access differs.

What you see

Claude usage limit reached. Your limit will reset at 3pm (America/New_York)

Why it happens

  • This is a Claude Pro or Max subscription cap, not an HTTP error. It appears when Claude Code is signed in with a subscription rather than an API key.
  • Caps are enforced on a rolling window — commonly a five-hour session window plus a weekly ceiling — so heavy days can exhaust a weekly allowance well before the week ends.
  • Long sessions resend their whole history every turn, so a single busy conversation consumes allowance far faster than its visible output suggests.

How to fix it

  • Wait for the stated reset — the message names the time, and it is a rolling window rather than a calendar boundary.
  • Trim what each turn carries: /compact long conversations, avoid dragging one giant session through unrelated tasks.
  • If the work cannot wait for a reset, pay-as-you-go API access is billed per token instead of per plan allowance, so it has no session or weekly cap to exhaust. That is the honest difference: metering, not a workaround.

Switch Claude Code from subscription to API balance

export ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL="https://api.apitoken.sale"
export ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN="sk-pool-•••"
claude

Related searches

  • claude code usage limit reached
  • claude weekly limit reached

FAQ

When does the Claude usage limit reset?+
At the time named in the message itself. Session windows reset on a rolling basis (commonly five hours); weekly ceilings reset a week after the usage that filled them.
Is this the same as API Error 429?+
No. The usage limit is a subscription allowance; a 429 is per-minute API throughput. They come from different systems and have different fixes.
Does API access have the same weekly limit?+
No. API usage is metered per token against a balance, with per-minute rate limits but no session or weekly allowance.

All Claude Code errors · Claude API error codes · Setup guide

Skip the broken setup

apiToken.sale serves the standard Anthropic API — same models, same SDKs, one prepaid balance. Point your tool's base URL at it, and the config on this page works as written.

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