I keep getting 401 errors about Oauth authentication after...

Found 3 possible duplicate issues:

1. https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code/issues/5893
2. https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code/issues/5956
3. https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code/issues/4138

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🤖 Generated with Claude Code

the problem persist

I'm getting same issue inside of claude code itself when hitting opus limit:
Claude Opus limit reached, now using Sonnet 4
⎿ API Error: 401 {"type":"error","error":{"type":"authentication_error","message":"OAuth authentication is
currently not supported."}}

But it won't continue in Sonnet.

SOLUTION! The solution is to downgrade to 1.0.81. Fixed immediately and permanently. I verified by going back to 1.0.82/3, and the problem returned.

Took me half a day to find the solution. Sharing so others dont have to.

Sometimes logging out and in will work, but in my two pro plans eventually that didn't either.

Downgrade works like a charm.

I discovered my issue was that I need to reset my token using setup-token. I had done it previously, but changed the install, so it wasn't seeing it.

This bug ahem gets worse. Claude code is now choosing to ignore claude config set autoUpdates false --global and force you to upgrade. It does this every time I hit the rate limit, and I have to downgrade again to get back to work.

Its a curiously consistent sort of bug, that escalates on a fixed set of rules, each time making harder to keep working after you hit the rate limit:

1. Hit rate limit: Logout and back in fixes it. Twice.
2. Third time? That stops working no matter what you do.
3. After that, you have to downgrade to 1.0.81 to get back to work.
4. GREAT, that works a few times, BUT,
5. THEN it starts ignoring your no auto update rule, and updates you to the latest versions (82, 83, and now 84), with the BUG
6. NOW you have to downgrade every time you hit the limit.

Curiouser and curiouser...all that escalation in 5 days.

Experiencing the same OAuth authentication issue in Repl.it with my subscriber account. For what it's worth, I can still connect successfully using an API key when needed as a workaround.

Experiencing this when running out of opus tokens and falling back to sonnet. Downgrading as @swoopsus mentions worked.

Same OAuth authentication issue in devcontainers with subscriber account.

Thank you for this. BTW I'm on Ubuntu using the native install and, without uninstalling anything, just ran this:

curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash -s 1.0.81

And it finally worked. Kind of hard to believe this bug got through the smoke tests. It's not a very nice way to greet a customer giving $100 in MRR.

i just installed and im getting the error, how i downgrade on windows?

 API Error: 401 {"type":"error","error":{"type":"authentication_error","message":"OAuth authentication is currently not
     supported."},"request_id":"req_011CSL3ipSV48ZpcFk7haYAD"}

i just installed and im getting the error, how i downgrade on windows? `` API Error: 401 {"type":"error","error":{"type":"authentication_error","message":"OAuth authentication is currently not supported."},"request_id":"req_011CSL3ipSV48ZpcFk7haYAD"} ``

SAme i just installed Claude code and i am having this exact same error. Did you choose the option to use your Claude subscription account too?

SAme i just installed Claude code and i am having this exact same error. Did you choose the option to use your Claude subscription account too?

Yes, but after restarting VSC selecting EXIT on menu it works

Its a little wierd tho, sometimes seems like im typing on a hundred different chats on the console, then i need to start a New session

i just installed and im getting the error, how i downgrade on windows? `` API Error: 401 {"type":"error","error":{"type":"authentication_error","message":"OAuth authentication is currently not supported."},"request_id":"req_011CSL3ipSV48ZpcFk7haYAD"} ``

I had the same issue on my both MacOS and Windows devices, I downloaded with npm at first place so I did:

npm uninstall -g claude

then

npm install -g claude@1.0.81

after this make sure that new version is added to PATH.

npm install -g claude@1.0.81

# npm install -g claude@1.0.81
npm error code ETARGET
npm error notarget No matching version found for claude@1.0.81.
npm error notarget In most cases you or one of your dependencies are requesting
npm error notarget a package version that doesn't exist.
npm error A complete log of this run can be found in: C:\Users\user\AppData\Local\npm-cache\_logs\2025-08-21T20_57_03_246Z-debug-0.log

> npm install -g claude@1.0.81 # npm install -g claude@1.0.81 npm error code ETARGET npm error notarget No matching version found for claude@1.0.81. npm error notarget In most cases you or one of your dependencies are requesting npm error notarget a package version that doesn't exist. npm error A complete log of this run can be found in: C:\Users\user\AppData\Local\npm-cache_logs\2025-08-21T20_57_03_246Z-debug-0.log

try, npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code@1.0.81

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