[Bug] Unexpected API usage increase during idle periods

Resolved 💬 3 comments Opened May 12, 2026 by dayniton Closed May 16, 2026

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Título: Weekly usage increases ~5% overnight with zero user interaction (Claude Desktop background consumption)

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Description:

My weekly usage increased approximately 5% overnight (between ~16:30 on May 11 and ~10:00 on May 12) with no active user sessions on any of my devices.

Evidence collected:

Using claude-usage (github.com/phuryn/claude-usage) to scan local Claude Code logs:

  • Last Claude Code session on May 11: ended at 16:19
  • First Claude Code session on May 12: started at 10:15
  • Zero JSONL sessions exist between those timestamps
  • No other devices logged into my account were active

Background processes found:

At the time of investigation, 14 claude processes were running on the machine (Windows 11), all started at 12:23 on May 11 — Claude Desktop had been left
open overnight. No active conversation was open by the user.

Weekly usage summary (from local logs):

  • May 9–10: 0 turns, $0.00
  • May 11: 312 turns, $12.67 (last active day)
  • May 12 morning (before waking): ~5% weekly consumed with no CLI sessions

Hypothesis:

Claude Desktop appears to consume tokens in the background while running, even without explicit user interaction. This is not visible to users and cannot
be audited via local logs (only Claude Code CLI sessions are logged to ~/.claude/projects/).

Related issue: anthropics/claude-code #51222 (rolling window reset anomaly — same user pattern)

Plan: Pro subscription, claude-sonnet-4-6, Windows 11, Claude Desktop + Claude Code CLI

Request:

  1. Clarify whether Claude Desktop performs any background API calls
  2. Provide per-session usage breakdown in the Settings > Usage panel (currently only shows aggregate %)
  3. Add local logging for Claude Desktop sessions similar to Claude Code JSONL logs

Bug Description
Weekly usage increases ~5% overnight with zero user interaction (Claude Desktop background consumption)

Environment Info

  • Platform: win32
  • Terminal: windows-terminal
  • Version: 2.1.139
  • Feedback ID: 8edc2a35-a984-45c3-aae3-a73f96d2b044

Errors

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