[Feature] Allow users to configure per-turn tool call limit
Resolved 💬 1 comment Opened Jun 8, 2026 by phpmac Closed Jul 15, 2026
Problem
Claude Code has a hardcoded per-turn tool call cap (~10-20 calls). When reached, it shows "Claude reached its tool-use limit for this turn" and forces users to click Continue.
Root cause: The Anthropic API server-side sampling loop has a hardcoded default of 10 iterations, returning stop_reason: "pause_turn".
Why This Needs to Be Configurable
- Complex MCP/Agent workflows trigger it constantly -- Multiple MCP servers + parallel agents + workflow orchestration exhaust 10 tool calls per turn quickly
- Continue is expensive -- Each Continue re-sends the full conversation context, burning tokens and cache, accelerating the 5-hour limit
- Max users deserve higher caps -- Users paying $100-200/month have the same per-turn limit as Pro users ($20/month)
Current State (verified)
- No
settings.jsonkey exists for this (verified against complete 125+ key reference) - No environment variable exists (verified against official env-vars docs)
- CLI
--max-turnscontrols agentic turn count (print mode only), not tool calls per turn - Related: #33969 (regression report -- tool call limit silently reduced from 60-80+ to ~20 in March 2026)
Request
Add a user-configurable setting, at minimum one of:
- settings.json:
"maxToolCallsPerTurn": 50 - Environment variable:
CLAUDE_CODE_MAX_TOOL_CALLS_PER_TURN=50 - CLI flag:
claude --max-tool-calls-per-turn 50
If server-side constraints prevent unlimited tuning, at minimum provide tiered defaults (Pro: 20, Max 5x: 50, Max 20x: 100).
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