Unexpected 5-hour limit consumption in Claude Code
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?
Experiencing sudden, unexpected spikes in 5-hour usage limit. Usage jumped from 34% to 94% during a very simple task, despite minimal active use."
Steps to reproduce:
Started with 34% usage already consumed
Ran a simple task in Claude Code
Usage rapidly climbed from 34% to 94% during task execution
Relevant details:
Usage breakdown shows: 34% at >150k context, 19% from 4+ parallel sessions, 30% from MCP server "Claude Preview"
Issue started occurring recently, wasn't happening before
Feels like usage is being consumed even when not actively using Claude Code
Product: Claude Code Terminal CLI and Claude desktop app windows 10
What Should Happen?
Usage should increase proportionally to the actual work being performed. A simple task should not cause usage to jump from 34% to 94% of the 5-hour limit.
Error Messages/Logs
Steps to Reproduce
Start with 34% of 5-hour usage limit already consumed
Run a simple task in Claude Code (VS Code extension)
Observe usage rapidly climbing from 34% to 94% during task execution
Note: Multiple parallel sessions (4+) and MCP server "Claude Preview" were active
Claude Model
Opus
Is this a regression?
Yes, this worked in a previous version
Last Working Version
_No response_
Claude Code Version
using the extension
Platform
Anthropic API
Operating System
macOS
Terminal/Shell
Windows Terminal
Additional Information
_No response_