[BUG] "API Error: Rate limit reached" Linux Claude Pro Subscription (SOLVED - Fixed)

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?

When using Claude CLI through terminal on Linux Ubuntu, using Opus 4.6 with Claude Pro, it was working great until one day I opened a new session, also with Claude Pro subscription, same account as before, and even by saying "hi" it responded "API Error: Rate limit reached".

It is important to note, I was far from reaching my API limit and my daily and weekly subscription limits, I was not even near exceeding my limits and yet had this issue.

No matter what I did, log out, log back in, close terminal, open terminal, new sessions, nothing helped.

I could switch effort and the switch worked but same "API Error: Rate limit reached"

Solution FIX:

So I solved it by switching model, I switched to the recommended Sonnet model by typing "Model" then enter, it let me pick the model, I pressed enter on Sonnet and Claude got back to working.

I then wrote "Model" again and switched back to Opus 4.6 and it was working, no more the API error.

What Should Happen?

Should respond "Hi, how are you" instead it responded: "API Error: Rate limit reached"

Error Messages/Logs

"API Error: Rate limit reached"

Steps to Reproduce

I ran "Claude" in my terminal", I logged into my Claude Pro Subscription, authorized it, then I wrote "hi" pressed enter and the error: "API Error: Rate limit reached" appeared.

Claude Model

Opus

Is this a regression?

Yes, this worked in a previous version

Last Working Version

_No response_

Claude Code Version

v2.1.86

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

Ubuntu/Debian Linux

Terminal/Shell

Other

Additional Information

_No response_