Claude Code usage limits and how to track them
What session, weekly, and per-model limits mean on Pro and Max, how /usage shows your plan usage, and what to do when you hit a limit.
On this page6 sections
How you hit a limit depends on how you sign in. Subscription plans (Pro, Max, Team, Enterprise) meter a per-seat usage allowance; an API key or cloud provider bills per token with only rate limits. The numbers differ per plan and change, so verify them live.
1. Know which limits apply to you
On a subscription, usage resets on a rolling window and a weekly window, shared across every model.
A “session limit” or “weekly limit” message is seat-based, so switching models with /model won’t
help. A model-specific “Opus limit” is different: switching to another family keeps you working. Anthropic does not publish fixed token counts, so check the current limits at
claude.com/pricing and the
Claude Help Center.
2. Open /usage to see plan usage
/usage
Shows plan usage bars and a breakdown of what counts against your limits. Press d or w to
switch between the last 24 hours and 7 days.
3. Read the per-session cost
/cost
A built-in alias for the same /usage Session block: token counts and an estimated dollar figure
computed locally at list price. That figure is meant for API users; subscribers see their plan
bars. See track Claude Code costs for more.
4. Recover when you hit a limit
The limit message names its reset time. You can wait, or use /rate-limit-options so Claude Code
resumes automatically after the reset. For a model-specific limit,
switch with /model. To make turns cheaper, run /compact to shrink context or /clear to start
fresh; see manage context. If usage credits are on,
/usage-credits requests more.
5. Subscription vs API-key billing
On a subscription, usage is included in your seat, so the dollar figure is not a bill. On an API key or Console account, every token is billed, and the real numbers live on the Claude Console usage page, not the CLI.
Verify it worked
Run /usage and confirm you see plan usage bars (subscription) or a Session cost line (API key).
If it fails:
/usageshowsShowing last-known usage— the usage endpoint is rate limited; pressrto retry.Unknown command: /usage-credits— your Claude Code is too old; runclaude update.- Session cost looks huge after hours idle — long context and cache misses reprocess the whole
conversation;
/clearbetween tasks.
Next: fix “usage limit reached” in Claude Code · track and cut token usage.