[BUG] Claude Code (VS Code) incorrectly prompts to purchase Fable 5 credits despite usage being far below the plan-included limit
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?
Description:
Claude Code in VS Code periodically shows a prompt saying I need to purchase more Fable 5 usage credits. However, my weekly Fable 5 usage is at only 3% — far below the 50% plan-included cap during the current promotional window (extended through July 19).
The strange part: I never actually purchase anything. When I click the prompt, it opens my browser with my claude.ai session already logged in. Just opening the browser session is enough — Claude Code immediately resumes working with Fable 5, with no purchase or any other action on my part.
This suggests an entitlement/session sync issue: Claude Code seems to lose or fail to refresh my Fable 5 entitlement locally, and opening the claude.ai session in the browser refreshes the auth token, restoring access.
What Should Happen?
Expected behavior:
No credit purchase prompt should appear while Fable 5 usage is within the plan-included allowance. If the local entitlement/session needs refreshing, Claude Code should handle it silently instead of showing a misleading purchase prompt.
Error Messages/Logs
Actual behavior:
A "purchase more credits" prompt appears repeatedly despite usage at 3% of the weekly limit, and simply opening the claude.ai browser session (no purchase) restores Fable 5 access.Steps to Reproduce
Steps to reproduce:
- Use Claude Code in VS Code with Fable 5 as the model, on a paid plan within the promotional window
- Work normally over time (weekly Fable usage well below 50% — mine is at 3%)
- Periodically, a prompt appears asking to purchase more Fable 5 credits
- Click the prompt → browser opens with claude.ai session → close it without buying anything
- Claude Code resumes working with Fable 5 normally
Claude Model
Other
Is this a regression?
Yes, this worked in a previous version
Last Working Version
Yes. When Fable 5 was first restored on subscription plans (around July 1), this did not happen — I used Fable 5 in Claude Code (VS Code) normally, within the plan-included allowance, and never saw the "purchase more credits" prompts. The prompts started appearing more recently, even though my weekly Fable 5 usage remains far below the included limit (currently at 3%). I'm not sure of the exact Claude Code version where the behavior changed, but it worked correctly in whatever version I was running in early July.
Claude Code Version
anthropic.claude-code Version 2.1.207
Platform
Other
Operating System
Windows
Terminal/Shell
VS Code integrated terminal
Additional Information
i am not using with Claude with API. I have Claude subscription
3 Comments
Same issue here — but the browser workaround does NOT restore access in my case.
Environment:
Plan: Claude Max
Claude Code version: 2.1.208 (latest as of writing)
Environment: VS Code extension / terminal, Windows
Usage at time of occurrence (from Account & Usage panel):
Session (5hr): 40%
Weekly (7 day): 15%
Weekly Fable: 19% — far below the 50% plan-included cap during the promotional window (extended through July 19)
Symptoms:
Claude Code shows the "Fable 5 requires usage credits" dialog ("Fable 5 runs on usage credits, billed separately from your plan. You don't have usage credits yet.") and blocks Fable 5, while the same account can use Fable 5 normally on claude.ai (web).
Differences from OP:
Unlike the original report, the workaround does not work for me:
So in my case this doesn't appear to be a transient token-refresh issue — the Fable 5 entitlement seems to be persistently out of sync for Claude Code only, while the web entitlement is intact on the same account.
Happy to provide logs or run diagnostics if that helps.
Same issue, another data point.
Plan: Max (20x)
Claude Code UI at time of occurrence:
Prompt shown:
Platform:
MacOS
Ghostty terminal
Claude Code
Both the session view and the separate claude.ai/settings/usage page (synced to the same timezone) agree I'm nowhere near any limit — Fable weekly is at 23%, not remotely close to exhausted. So this reproduces the report above: the "no credits" gate is firing well inside the plan-included allowance, on Max, during the active weekly-limit promo. Seconding that this looks like a client-side entitlement/session-sync bug rather than a real billing state.
Workaround:
Logging out of all claude instances on my machine (Claude.ai, Claude Code, Claude desktop app), then logging back into fresh session fixed the issue.
I think my issue was resolved. I no longer receive 'purchase credits' messages when using Fable 5 in VS Code.