[BUG] Context limit blocks ALL operations - even after /clear and system restart

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?

Claude Code is in a permanently broken state where the "Context limit reached" error blocks every single command, even basic ones like --version and /help. /clear and full system restarts do not resolve the issue.

Once Claude Code hits the context limit, ALL operations become blocked — including file reads, file writes, bash commands, and any tool use. This persists even after:

• Running /clear to clear the conversation context
• - Restarting Claude Code entirely
• - - Starting a completely new session after full system restart

Actual error output:

❯ gsd
⏺ Skill(/gsd:help)
⎿  Successfully loaded skill · 1 tool allowed
⎿  Read .claude/get-shit-done/workflows/help.md (610 lines)
⎿  Context limit reached · /compact or /clear to continue

❯ /clear
⎿  (no content)

❯ gsd --version
⎿  Context limit reached · /compact or /clear to continue

The system successfully loads skills and reads files, but then immediately blocks with "Context limit reached" before any user interaction is possible. Even --version and gsd startup itself show context limit errors.

Actual Behavior

❯ gsd
⏺ Skill(/gsd:help)
⎿ Successfully loaded skill · 1 tool allowed
⎿ Read .claude/get-shit-done/workflows/help.md (610 lines)
⎿ Context limit reached · /compact or /clear to continue
❯ /clear
⎿ (no content)
❯ gsd --version
⎿ Context limit reached · /compact or /clear to continue

The system successfully loads skills and reads files, but then immediately blocks with "Context limit reached" before any user interaction is possible.

Expected Behavior

• gsd --version should display the version
• /help should display help information
• Basic commands should work, especially after /clear
• Context limit should not block system-level operations

System Information

• OS: Linux runsc 4.4.0 #1 SMP Sun Jan 10 15:06:54 PST 2016 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux
• Node.js Version: v22.22.0
• Claude Code Version: Unable to determine (npm list returns empty - Claude Code may not be in node_modules)
• Steps Taken:
• ✅ Full system restart
• ✅ Ran /clear (multiple times)
• ✅ Closed and reopened Claude Code terminal
• ❌ Context limit persists

Related Issues

This appears related to:

• #23047 - /compact fails with 'Conversation too long' at context limit
• #20455 - Context limit reached prematurely
• #19018 - Auto-compact stops at ~70% remaining context

Workaround

Currently unable to use Claude Code. Using alternatives:

• Claude.ai web interface
• Direct Anthropic API calls via curl

Additional Context

Even the skill loading mechanism fails - the system successfully loads skill files but then immediately blocks before the skill can be used. This suggests the issue is in Claude Code's core context management, not in session accumulation or user workflows.

What Should Happen?

• gsd --version should display the version number
• - /help should display help information
• - - Basic commands should work, especially after /clear
• - - - Context limit should NOT block system-level operations like --version
• - - - - After /clear or a full system restart, Claude Code should start fresh with no context limit state carried over
• - - - - - The context limit error should only appear during an active conversation when the limit is genuinely reached, not persist across sessions/restarts

Error Messages/Logs

Steps to Reproduce

1. Start Claude Code with gsd
2. Wait for the initial skill load to complete
3. Attempt any command (e.g., new project, /help, or type text)
4. Observe: "Context limit reached · /compact or /clear to continue" error appears
5. Run /clear to reset context
6. Restart the entire computer
7. Start Claude Code again with gsd
8. Attempt any simple command like /help or type any text
9. Error persists: "Context limit reached · /compact or /clear to continue"
10. Even gsd --version returns the same context limit error

Expected behavior: Basic commands should work without context limit blocking, especially after /clear and system restart.

Actual behavior: Every command is blocked with "Context limit reached" even when the skill loading shows it successfully reads files (e.g., "Read .claude/get-shit-done/workflows/help.md (610 lines)").

Claude Model

Not sure / Multiple models

Is this a regression?

Yes, this worked in a previous version

Last Working Version

_No response_

Claude Code Version

2.x.x (Unable to determine exact version - claude --version blocked by context limit error)

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

macOS

Terminal/Shell

Terminal.app (macOS)

Additional Information

_No response_