Troubleshooting · Cline
Cline: input length and max_tokens exceed context limit — Fix
The 400 input length and max_tokens exceed context limit appears when Cline's accumulated task context plus the output reservation no longer fit the model's window. How to recover.
What you see
input length and `max_tokens` exceed context limit: 199999 + 8192 > 200000Why it happens
- The conversation history plus attached files plus the max_tokens reservation exceed the model's context window — the two numbers in the message are your input and the ceiling.
- Long-running tasks accumulate every file read and tool result; nothing is dropped automatically until the window is already full.
- A large max_tokens setting reserves output space that then no longer fits next to the input.
How to fix it
- Start a new task for the next unit of work — carrying one giant task across a whole feature is what fills the window.
- Reduce what the task holds: narrower file mentions, avoid pasting whole files that could be referenced.
- If the model supports a larger context window variant, selecting it raises the ceiling; otherwise trim input rather than raising max_tokens.
Related searches
cline context limit exceededprompt is too long: 212164 tokens > 199999 maximum
FAQ
What do the numbers in the error mean?+
Your input tokens plus the max_tokens reservation, against the model's window: 199999 + 8192 > 200000 says the input alone nearly fills the window before any output is reserved.
Why did this appear mid-task when everything worked before?+
Context accumulates every step. The task crossed the ceiling at that step, not because that step was special but because it was one step too many.
Does lowering max_tokens fix it?+
Sometimes briefly — it shrinks the reservation. The durable fix is less input: smaller tasks, trimmed context.