[BUG] Entire usage quota exhausted during incomplete Excel generation task without warning

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?

I uploaded a DOCX file containing 108 questions and requested Excel generation.

Claude confirmed processing had started with:
“Large file with 108 questions — many are image-based. Let me build the Excel now.”

However, before the task completed or any usable output was delivered, the system suddenly exhausted my entire usage quota and stopped processing midway.

Important details:

• I had not used Claude for nearly 10 hours before this session
• This was the first major task started during the session
• No warning indicated that one unfinished request could consume the entire quota
• The task failed before output delivery, yet all credits were consumed
• Support only repeated generic token usage policy responses without meaningful investigation

Expected behavior:

• Clear warning before starting quota-heavy processing
• Better live usage transparency during large tasks
• Graceful interruption or partial-save handling when quota is exceeded
• Proper review/escalation for abnormal quota exhaustion during incomplete tasks

What Should Happen?

Claude should either:

Complete the Excel generation successfully without exhausting the entire quota unexpectedly, OR
Warn the user before starting processing if the request is likely to exceed the available quota.

If quota exhaustion happens mid-task, the system should:

provide partial output/recovery options,
stop gracefully,
and avoid consuming the full quota without delivering usable results.

Users should also have better transparency into live quota/token consumption during large processing tasks.

Error Messages/Logs

Observed behavior:

Claude confirmed processing with:
“Large file with 108 questions — many are image-based. Let me build the Excel now.”
During processing, the session abruptly stopped with an out-of-usage/credits message.
No final Excel output was generated.
Entire quota was consumed during incomplete processing.

Steps to Reproduce

Upload a large DOCX file containing many questions/images (in my case, 108 questions).
Ask Claude to analyze the file and generate an Excel output from the contents.
Claude begins processing and confirms with a message similar to:
“Large file with 108 questions — many are image-based. Let me build the Excel now.”
Wait during processing.
Before the task completes or any final usable output is generated, the session abruptly stops with an out-of-usage/credits message.
Entire usage quota gets consumed despite incomplete task completion and no final output delivery.

Claude Model

None

Is this a regression?

Yes, this worked in a previous version

Last Working Version

_No response_

Claude Code Version

Unknown (Claude.ai web interface)

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

Windows

Terminal/Shell

Terminal.app (macOS)

Additional Information

_No response_