[BUG] : /workflows:* commands fail with "Rate limit reached" at low usage

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?

Repro: Invoke any /workflows: slash command. Fails immediately with "API Error: Rate limit reached" despite 2% session / 2% weekly Sonnet usage.

Version: Claude Code 2.1.81

Notes:

• Started ~March 18-19
• Specific to workflows: namespace commands
• pipelines, agents and general commands work fine
• 119 total command files (906KB) in .claude/commands/
• Possible: command expansion or system prompt token budget being misreported as rate limit

What Should Happen?

Claude code should invoke and execute the slash command, i.e. /workflows:ship, /workflows:post-implementation, etc.

Error Messages/Logs

❯ /workflows:post-implementation uluops-registry-api
  ⎿  API Error: Rate limit reached

Steps to Reproduce

Write(~/.claude/commands/workflows/ping.md)
⎿  Wrote 7 lines to ../.claude/commands/workflows/ping.md
1 ---
2 name: ping
3 description: Test workflow
4 tools: Bash
5 model: sonnet
6 ---
7 Run echo "pong" and report the result.

⏺ Try /workflows:ping — if it rate limits on a 2-line workflow, it's the namespace.

❯ /workflows:ping
⎿  API Error: Rate limit reached

Claude Model

Opus

Is this a regression?

Yes, this worked in a previous version

Last Working Version

_No response_

Claude Code Version

2.1.81

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

macOS

Terminal/Shell

iTerm2

Additional Information

Funny thing, once I switch to a pipeline namespace, the exact agent composition works fine. /pipeline:post-implementation, etc.

Happy to assist with anything else.

Cheers