[Bug] Sharp increase in token consumption since April 5-6 weekend — Max plan 5h limits hit in ~1-2h

Bug Description

Since this weekend (April 5-6, 2026), my Claude Code sessions on the Max plan are exhausting the 5-hour rolling token limit significantly faster than before — roughly 2-3x faster based on my usage patterns. This is a sudden and noticeable change with no modifications to my local configuration.

What I observe:

• 5-hour session limits now exhausted in approximately 1-2 hours
• Consistent across multiple project directories
• Behavior changed abruptly this weekend — prior sessions were normal

What I ruled out:

• No changes to local config, CLAUDE.md files, or project setup
• Disconnected all MCP servers (Canva, Gmail, Google Calendar) mid-session — no improvement
• Not using automations or background agents
• Working on standard coding tasks, same as before

Environment Info

• Platform: macOS
• Version: 2.1.92
• Plan: Claude Max (5-hour rolling window)
• Shell: zsh

Additional context

This issue appears to be widely reported today — see related: #44208, #44228, #41788, #41521, #37394. The pattern suggests a backend change (system prompt size, token counting, or prompt cache regression) rather than a client-side issue.