# How to check your Claude Code usage limits

Canonical page: https://orcylo.app/claude-code-usage-limits

By [MerdoAI](https://x.com/merdoAI) (Maker of Orcylo). Published October 1, 2026. Updated October 5, 2026. Editorial policy: https://orcylo.app/guides#how-we-write

**Short answer:** Type /usage in Claude Code. On a Pro or Max plan it shows how much of your 5-hour session limit and your weekly limit you have used, and when each one resets. The same bars are under Settings > Usage on claude.ai. Claude Code also hands both figures to your status line, so a short script can keep them on screen while you work.

Claude Code on a Pro or Max plan has no token count you can look up in advance. Anthropic meters it in two windows that run at the same time: a session limit that resets every five hours, and a weekly limit on top of it. Both are shown as a percentage used, not as a number of messages. How fast you use them depends on the model, the effort level, the size of the conversation and the tools Claude calls.

This guide covers every place Claude Code shows those two numbers, how to keep them in view while you work, what the limit messages mean, and the habits Anthropic documents for making a window last. If you also use Codex, its limits work differently: see [how to check your Codex usage limits](https://orcylo.app/codex-usage-limits).

## How Claude Code usage limits work

Two limits apply at once, and both are shared with everything else you do in Claude.

- **The session limit** is a rolling allowance that resets every five hours. Max 5x gets five times the Pro plan's per-session allowance and Max 20x gets twenty times.

- **The weekly limit** is a second allowance that applies across all models. It resets at a fixed time each week that Anthropic assigns to your account, and that day and time do not move when you start working or when your subscription renews.

- **One allowance for every surface.** Claude on the web, desktop and mobile, Claude Code in the terminal and Claude Code in VS Code or JetBrains all draw from the same limits.

- **Some limits apply to one model family.** Claude Code can stop with "You've hit your Opus limit" or "You've hit your Sonnet limit", which only affect that family.

| Plan | Price (US) | Session limit | Weekly limit | Fable models |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pro | $20 a month | More than Free, resets every 5 hours | Yes, across all models | Usage credits only |
| Max 5x | $100 a month | 5× Pro, resets every 5 hours | Yes, across all models | Up to 50 % of the weekly limit |
| Max 20x | $200 a month | 20× Pro, resets every 5 hours | Yes, across all models | Up to 50 % of the weekly limit |

Prices and allowances are from Anthropic's [Pro plan](https://support.claude.com/en/articles/8325606-what-is-the-pro-plan) and [Max plan](https://support.claude.com/en/articles/11049741-what-is-the-max-plan) pages, and the Fable share from [Claude Fable models on your plan](https://support.claude.com/en/articles/15424964-claude-fable-models-on-your-plan). Anthropic does not publish token or message counts for these plans, and says it may limit usage in other ways too, such as monthly caps or limits on a model or feature. Usage counts against the session and the weekly allowance at the same time, so one heavy burst, such as a large workflow fan-out, can use up the week before the session window even resets.

## How to check your Claude Code usage

1. **Run `/usage` in Claude Code.** On a Pro, Max, Team or Enterprise plan it shows a bar for the current session and one for the week, each with its reset time, plus activity stats. `/cost` and `/stats` open the same screen. The Session block at the top is a dollar estimate at API list price; for subscribers it has no effect on your bill.

2. **Read the breakdown under the bars.** `/usage` attributes recent usage to skills, subagents, plugins and individual MCP servers. It also flags any behaviour, such as long context or cache misses, that accounts for 10 % or more of it. Press `d` or `w` to switch between the last 24 hours and the last 7 days. The breakdown is computed from session history on this Mac, so it leaves out other devices and claude.ai; the bars above it are for the whole account.

3. **Open Settings > Usage on claude.ai.** At [claude.ai/settings/usage](https://claude.ai/settings/usage), the Plan usage limits section has two parts. Current session shows how much you have used and the time left in the window; Weekly limits covers all models, plus Fable when your plan includes it. The page also shows usage credits when they are on, and it works in Claude Desktop too, as Anthropic's [usage limit best practices](https://support.claude.com/en/articles/9797557-usage-limit-best-practices) describe.

4. **Use the view built into your editor or the desktop app.** In the VS Code extension, `/usage` opens the Account & usage dialog with a bar per limit and the time until it resets. In the desktop app's Code tab, click the usage ring next to the model picker.

5. **Watch for the early warning.** Before a window runs out, Claude Code prints a line such as `You've used 85% of your session limit · resets 3:45pm`.

> Anthropic's help article for Pro and Max still says to monitor your allocation with `/status`. In the current [command reference](https://code.claude.com/docs/en/commands), `/status` shows version, model, account and connectivity, and the limit bars are in `/usage`.

## When does the Claude Code limit reset?

You do not have to work it out: Claude Code prints the reset time whenever it tells you about a limit. The session limit runs in five-hour windows, and the weekly limit resets on a fixed day and time for your account.

- **In the limit message.** When you reach a limit, the message names it and gives the reset time, such as `You've hit your session limit · resets 3:45pm` or `You've hit your weekly limit · resets Mon 12:00am`, as listed in the [Claude Code error reference](https://code.claude.com/docs/en/errors). The early warning carries the time too: `You've used 85% of your session limit · resets 3:45pm`.

- **In `/usage`.** Each bar shows its own reset time.

- **On claude.ai.** Settings > Usage shows the time left in the current session and when the weekly limit resets, for all models and for Fable when your plan includes it, as Anthropic's [usage limit best practices](https://support.claude.com/en/articles/9797557-usage-limit-best-practices) describe.

- **After a limit reset.** "Reset for free" in Settings > Usage sets the session or the weekly limit back to full straight away, but your weekly limit still resets on its usual day and time, according to [What is a limit reset?](https://support.claude.com/en/articles/17007452-what-is-a-limit-reset)

If you would rather not watch the clock, Claude Code can wait for the reset and carry on by itself; see [what happens when you hit a Claude Code limit](https://orcylo.app/claude-code-usage-limits#what-happens-when-you-hit-a-claude-code-limit).

## Keep your limits in the status line

The status line is the one place Claude Code shows your limits without being asked. Claude Code runs a script you choose and passes it session data as JSON. On Pro and Max that JSON includes `rate_limits.five_hour` and `rate_limits.seven_day`, each with `used_percentage` (0 to 100) and `resets_at` (Unix epoch seconds), as documented in [Customize your status line](https://code.claude.com/docs/en/statusline).

1. **Save the script.** Put this in `~/.claude/statusline.sh`:

   ```sh
   #!/bin/sh
   input=$(cat)
   five=$(echo "$input" | jq -r '.rate_limits.five_hour.used_percentage // empty')
   reset=$(echo "$input" | jq -r '.rate_limits.five_hour.resets_at // empty')
   week=$(echo "$input" | jq -r '.rate_limits.seven_day.used_percentage // empty')
   line=""
   [ -n "$five" ] && line="5h $(printf '%.0f' "$five")%"
   [ -n "$reset" ] && line="$line (resets $(date -r "$reset" +%H:%M))"
   [ -n "$week" ] && line="${line:+$line · }week $(printf '%.0f' "$week")%"
   echo "${line:-limits appear after the first answer}"
   ```

2. **Make it executable.** Run `chmod +x ~/.claude/statusline.sh` in Terminal. The script uses `jq`; `jq --version` tells you whether it is installed.

3. **Point Claude Code at it.** Add this to `~/.claude/settings.json`:

   ```json
   {
     "statusLine": {
       "type": "command",
       "command": "~/.claude/statusline.sh"
     }
   }
   ```

4. **Send one message.** The limits arrive with the first answer in a session. After that the line reads something like `5h 24% (resets 17:00) · week 41%`.

A few details explain what you will see, all from the status line documentation. Each window can be missing from the data, which is why the script falls back to empty values. Claude Code re-runs the script when an answer arrives, after `/compact`, when the permission mode changes and when a window reaches its reset time. An idle session therefore keeps showing the last figures it received. If you would rather describe the line than write it, `/statusline` generates a script for you, and `/statusline delete` removes it.

<!-- [PERSONAL EXPERIENCE]: documented in Orcylo's README, "Claude limits from several sessions" -->
> **From building Orcylo:** every open Claude Code session reports the limits it saw on its own last answer. A session left idle in another terminal tab keeps repeating old numbers while a busy one moves on. Because use only grows until a window resets, the right figure is the one with the latest reset time and, within it, the highest use.

## What happens when you hit a Claude Code limit

Claude Code stops sending requests and tells you which limit you reached and when it resets. These messages and the options below come from the [Claude Code error reference](https://code.claude.com/docs/en/errors):

```text
You've hit your session limit · resets 3:45pm
You've hit your weekly limit · resets Mon 12:00am
You've hit your Opus limit · resets 3:45pm
```

You have five ways forward:

- **Wait, or let Claude Code wait for you.** On version 2.1.234 or later it can hold the interrupted task and continue shortly after the reset. While it waits, the bottom line reads `Usage limit reached · continuing automatically at 3:45pm · esc to cancel`. The setting is "Continue automatically at usage limit" in `/config`. The desktop app has a separate "Auto-continue when limits reset" checkbox on the session-limit card.

- **Switch model, but only for a model-family limit.** After an Opus or Sonnet limit, `/model` to a model outside that family keeps you working. The session and weekly limits are shared across all models, so switching does nothing there.

- **Turn on usage credits.** `/usage-credits` opens Settings > Usage on claude.ai, where Pro and Max subscribers can turn credits on and see the balance, this month's spend and a monthly spend limit. Credits are billed on top of the plan.

- **Use a limit reset, if you have one.** Anthropic occasionally gives eligible plans a reset that sets the session or weekly limit back to full. Click "Reset for free" in Settings > Usage on the web or in Claude Desktop; it is not available in Claude Code in the terminal.

- **Upgrade.** Max 5x and Max 20x give five or twenty times the Pro plan's session allowance, with a weekly limit of their own.

> If Claude Code suddenly bills you instead of using your plan, check for an API key in your shell with `echo $ANTHROPIC_API_KEY`. When that variable is set, Claude Code uses the key and charges API rates rather than your subscription.

## How to make a 5-hour window last longer

Every message re-sends the conversation so far, so most of these come down to keeping that conversation small. All of them are from Anthropic's [Manage costs effectively](https://code.claude.com/docs/en/costs) page and its help article on [models, usage and limits in Claude Code](https://support.claude.com/en/articles/14552983-models-usage-and-limits-in-claude-code).

1. **Clear between tasks.** `/clear` starts a fresh conversation while CLAUDE.md and your files stay available. Run `/rename` first if you may want to `/resume` the old one.

2. **Match the model to the job.** Anthropic suggests Sonnet for most coding, Opus for hard debugging and architecture, and Haiku for quick mechanical edits. `/model opusplan` plans with Opus and carries out the plan with Sonnet.

3. **Compact with a focus, or clear instead.** `/compact Focus on the failing tests` keeps what matters. Compacting reads the whole conversation it summarises, so it is itself a large request; when you do not need continuity, `/clear` costs nothing.

4. **Lower the effort for routine work.** `/effort low` or `/effort medium` uses fewer thinking tokens, which are billed as output.

5. **Point at files instead of pasting them.** A bare path lets Claude read the part it needs; an `@` mention pulls in the whole file.

6. **Keep CLAUDE.md short.** It is sent with every turn. Anthropic suggests staying under about 200 lines and moving workflow-specific instructions into skills, which load only when used.

7. **Turn off MCP servers you are not using.** `/mcp` lists them, and `/context` shows what is filling the context window.

8. **Mind idle sessions.** The prompt cache lasts an hour on a subscription, so the first message after a longer break reprocesses the whole conversation. Scheduled `/loop` tasks and agent teammates keep using your allowance while you are away.

## What Orcylo adds

[Orcylo](https://orcylo.app/#ai) is a menu bar system monitor for Mac that also keeps your Claude Code limits in view. When you click Connect, Orcylo points Claude Code's `statusLine` at a small bridge. The bridge saves the status line data for Orcylo and keeps running the status line command you already had, and Disconnect puts your old setting back exactly. Orcylo never reads your Claude login.

Each limit gets a ring and a countdown to its reset. Two bars show how much of the window has passed and how much of the limit you have used, and turn orange when use runs ahead of the clock. A notification arrives at 80 % and 95 % and again when a limit resets. With several sessions open, Orcylo reads them all and keeps the latest reset time and the highest use within it, so an idle session's old figures do not hide a busy one. A Claude item can sit in the [menu bar](https://orcylo.app/#menu-bar) next to CPU and memory, and the AI Tools tab adds a heat map, models, projects and sessions from Claude Code's local transcripts.

Orcylo costs €5 at launch for the first 20 licences, then €7.50 for the next 30, then €9.99, once, for one Mac ([pricing](https://orcylo.app/#pricing)). For the other ways to watch these numbers, including free ones, see [the best Claude Code usage trackers for Mac](https://orcylo.app/best-claude-code-usage-trackers).

## Questions people ask

### How long does a Claude Code usage limit last?

The session limit resets every five hours. The weekly limit resets at a fixed day and time assigned to your account, which stays the same no matter when you start working. Settings > Usage on claude.ai shows the next reset.

### Does chatting on claude.ai use up my Claude Code limit?

Yes. On Pro and Max, Claude on the web, desktop and mobile and Claude Code in the terminal or an IDE all count against the same 5-hour and weekly limits.

### Why doesn't /status show my usage?

In current versions /status shows your version, model, account and connectivity. The limit bars and reset times are in /usage, which also opens as /cost or /stats. Anthropic's help center still mentions /status for this, but the command reference puts the bars in /usage.

### Does switching to a cheaper model get me past the limit?

Not for the session or weekly limit, because both are shared across all models. If the message names a model family, such as "You've hit your Opus limit", switching to a model outside that family with /model lets you keep working.

### Can Claude Code wait for the reset and carry on by itself?

Yes, on version 2.1.234 or later with a claude.ai subscription. While it waits, the bottom line reads "Usage limit reached · continuing automatically at" followed by the reset time. Press Esc at an empty prompt to cancel, or turn the behaviour off with "Continue automatically at usage limit" in /config.

### Do I see rate limits in the status line on every plan?

No. The rate_limits data only appears for claude.ai Pro and Max subscribers, or behind a Claude apps gateway that sets a spend limit, and only after the first answer in a session. With an API key there is no plan limit to show, and /usage shows the session's estimated cost instead.

## Sources

- [Anthropic Help Center: What is the Pro plan?](https://support.claude.com/en/articles/8325606-what-is-the-pro-plan)
- [Anthropic Help Center: What is the Max plan?](https://support.claude.com/en/articles/11049741-what-is-the-max-plan)
- [Anthropic Help Center: Use Claude Code with your Pro or Max plan](https://support.claude.com/en/articles/11145838-using-claude-code-with-your-pro-or-max-plan)
- [Anthropic Help Center: Usage limit best practices](https://support.claude.com/en/articles/9797557-usage-limit-best-practices)
- [Anthropic Help Center: Claude Fable models on your plan](https://support.claude.com/en/articles/15424964-claude-fable-models-on-your-plan)
- [Anthropic Help Center: What is a limit reset?](https://support.claude.com/en/articles/17007452-what-is-a-limit-reset)
- [Anthropic Help Center: Models, usage, and limits in Claude Code](https://support.claude.com/en/articles/14552983-models-usage-and-limits-in-claude-code)
- [Claude Code docs: Commands](https://code.claude.com/docs/en/commands)
- [Claude Code docs: Manage costs effectively](https://code.claude.com/docs/en/costs)
- [Claude Code docs: Customize your status line](https://code.claude.com/docs/en/statusline)
- [Claude Code docs: Error reference (usage limits)](https://code.claude.com/docs/en/errors)

More guides: [Codex usage limits](https://orcylo.app/codex-usage-limits), [Claude Code usage trackers](https://orcylo.app/best-claude-code-usage-trackers), [Best menu bar monitors for Mac](https://orcylo.app/best-menu-bar-system-monitor-for-mac), [What is using port 3000](https://orcylo.app/find-process-using-port-mac).

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Orcylo: Claude Code and Codex limits in the Mac menu bar, plus an Activity Monitor alternative. €5 for the first 20 licences, then €7.50 for the next 30, then €9.99, for one Mac. One payment, every update for life. No account, no subscription. https://orcylo.app/