[BUG] Since mid-November, claude code is consuming ~5x tokens

Preflight Checklist

• [x] I have searched existing issues and this hasn't been reported yet
• [x] This is a single bug report (please file separate reports for different bugs)
• [x] I am using the latest version of Claude Code

What's Wrong?

I use Claude Code PRO across various projects and noticed very high usage comparing to previous months. Either it is using way more tokens, or Anthropic has changed token counting rules w/o telling anyone. In both cases users are paying the price.

What Should Happen?

Token usage and work time should stay relatively the same under similar circumstances.

Error Messages/Logs

Steps to Reproduce

1. Start working with Claude Code on any task
2. You'll hit usage limit 5x faster than in October.

Claude Model

Sonnet (default)

Is this a regression?

Yes, this worked in a previous version

Last Working Version

_No response_

Claude Code Version

2.0.64

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

macOS

Terminal/Shell

Terminal.app (macOS)

Additional Information

_No response_