Claude Code "Claude usage limit reached": causes and fixes (usage / rate limit)
Is there an outage right now?
Claude Code official status is operational. If this error persists, it is likely an implementation or environment issue on your side.
View Claude Code status →What this error means
"Claude usage limit reached. Your limit will reset at …" means you hit Claude Code's usage (rate) limit. Plan-based use (Pro/Max) has a rolling 5-hour session cap plus a weekly cap; exceeding it restricts use until the reset time. On pay-as-you-go API keys, the same kind of limit comes from credit balance or usage caps.
Common causes
- •Reached the 5-hour message/token cap
- •Reached the weekly cap (Pro/Max)
- •Heavy, long-running sessions burning tokens fast
- •Large context or frequent tool calls increasing usage
- •On API keys: insufficient credit balance / usage limits
How to fix
- 1.Wait until the shown reset time (limits recover by waiting)
- 2.Cut usage: /compact or /clear to shrink/reset the conversation
- 3.Switch to a lighter model with /model
- 4.Avoid large pastes and reading whole big files
- 5.Consider upgrading to a higher plan (Max)
- 6.On API keys, raise balance/usage limits in the console
- 7.Confirm at the top of this page it is not an Anthropic-side outage
When waiting helps (and when it won't)
The limit clears at the reset time. It is not a misconfiguration—wait or raise your plan/quota. If burn rate is the issue, /compact, /clear and model choice help.
Alternatives when Claude Code is down
Related errors
FAQ
What is Claude usage limit reached?
"Claude usage limit reached. Your limit will reset at …" means you hit Claude Code's usage (rate) limit. Plan-based use (Pro/Max) has a rolling 5-hour session cap plus a weekly cap; exceeding it restricts use until the reset time. On pay-as-you-go API keys, the same kind of limit comes from credit balance or usage caps.
How do I fix Claude usage limit reached?
Wait until the shown reset time (limits recover by waiting) / Cut usage: /compact or /clear to shrink/reset the conversation / Switch to a lighter model with /model / Avoid large pastes and reading whole big files / Consider upgrading to a higher plan (Max) / On API keys, raise balance/usage limits in the console / Confirm at the top of this page it is not an Anthropic-side outage