[BUG] CRITICAL: Account-Specific Auto-Compact Corruption - Complete Service Loss for Max Plan Subscribers
Platform:
Claude CLI version: 1.0.81 (Claude Code)
Operating System: Windows 11 (PowerShell)
Terminal: PowerShell, also tested in VS Code integrated terminal and Cursor
Bug Description:
CRITICAL: Account-Specific Auto-Compact Corruption - Complete Service Loss
Claude Code becomes completely unusable due to persistent "Context left until auto-compact: 0%" error that occurs immediately when context begins building up. Through extensive testing across multiple machines, this has been proven to be server-side account state corruption, not a client-side installation issue.
Key findings:
Issue is tied to specific Claude Max Plan accounts, not machines or installations
Persists across complete reinstallations and different computers
Affects context management even when auto-compact is disabled
Results in complete tool unusability for $100/month Max Plan subscribers
Steps to Reproduce:
Login to Claude Code with affected Claude Max Plan account on any machine
Start any coding task (even simple commands like claude "hello")
Observe context percentage as it begins to build
Notice "Context left until auto-compact: 0%" appears immediately
Tool becomes unusable as it thinks context is full at 0%
Verify persistence by:
Completely uninstalling Claude Code
Removing all config files (.claude.json, .claude.json.backup)
Reinstalling fresh on same machine → issue returns
Testing on completely different machine → same behavior occurs
Expected Behavior:
Claude Code should manage context normally up to actual limits
Auto-compact should trigger at appropriate thresholds (e.g., 80-90%, not 0%)
Tool should remain usable throughout coding sessions
Fresh installations should reset any corruption
Different machines should not inherit account-specific corruption
Actual Behavior:
Immediate "Context left until auto-compact: 0%" error appears when minimal context builds
Tool becomes completely unusable after first few interactions
Complete reinstallation does NOT fix the issue
Issue persists across multiple different machines (proving server-side corruption)
Disabling auto-compact via /config does not prevent the corruption
/clear and /compact commands provide no relief
Additional Context:
Critical Evidence of Server-Side Account Corruption:
Cross-Machine Testing: Identical behavior reproduced on completely different computers with same account, proving corruption exists in Anthropic's user session data, not local installation
Persistence Through Complete Removal:
Removed all Claude Code installations
Deleted all configuration files (.claude.json, .claude.json.backup)
Cleared VS Code and Cursor extensions
Cleared npm cache
Fresh installation still exhibits same behavior
Account-Tied Behavior: Issue follows the user login/account, not the machine or installation
Immediate Recurrence: Fresh installs work briefly until server synchronization occurs, then corruption immediately returns
Multiple Affected Users:
Similar reports in issues #5385, #2391, #3274, #2283 suggesting this affects multiple Max Plan accounts
Attempted Solutions (All Failed):
Complete uninstallation and reinstallation on multiple machines
Clearing all local Claude configuration and cache files
Disabling auto-compact feature via /config menu
Using /clear, /compact, and other reset commands
Testing different Claude Code versions and terminals
Impact:
Complete loss of Claude Code functionality for affected Max Plan subscribers
$100/month subscription value completely lost
Critical work projects blocked with no available workarounds
Issue appears to be permanent account-level corruption
Urgency:
This represents a complete service failure for premium subscribers and requires immediate server-side account state investigation and reset capability.
Related Issues:
#5385, #2391, #3274, #2283
16 Comments
Found 3 possible duplicate issues:
This issue will be automatically closed as a duplicate in 3 days.
🤖 Generated with Claude Code
Same issue. Starting new conversations with 10% context remaining.
Same issue. Starting all new conversations at 10% for a few hours now.
I have same issue.
I created a different paid Claude account and still had the same issue, so it's persisting across different machines AND accounts? Or is it perhaps something else in our settings/config?
https://streamable.com/6g1u7w My experience
I've the same experience on my Pro account as well... I forgot to add this...
opencode is working hooked up to my claude pro max plan! https://opencode.ai/
YO!!! YOU DON'T SAY!!! Thanks for sharing @benlrichards Really appreciate it... Have been looking for a "replacement" since the bug hit...
@benlrichards I believe you have identified that "Claude Code" is the one causing all these... it's not our accounts -- since you're able to use your Max subscription on OpenCode. Good job!
Any fix or work around because its unusable now
@Kindjhali I followed what @benlrichards hinted above... opencode, check it out... it works... may not be as polished as claude code but yah, at least it doesn't leave u hanging with ur max sub not able to do what you want for days. I noticed they also pushed out two updates on Claude Code since I posted this, none of them fixed this bug.
Found a "fix." Not sure how detrimental it is to context awareness, but deleting/renaming the settings.local file in the .claude folder fixed the context issues for me. I am guessing the file just got too large for Claude to be able to effectively read because of all the bash commands it stored away that weren't reusable in most cases.
if you want to YOLO it, you can use "claude --dangerously-skip-permissions" to bypass permission prompts (the ones that when saved to the project, fill up the setting.local.json file and ultimately cause the context issue)
But that is absolute last resort and very dangerous to do. Hence the flag name....
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