[BUG] Insanely rapid usage limit reached!

Found 3 possible duplicate issues:

1. https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code/issues/8604
2. https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code/issues/9310
3. https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code/issues/8742

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🤖 Generated with Claude Code

If the duplicates keep being closed as a duplicate, we'll just have to keep re-opening them?

I've documented this problem(back when 2.0.13 was released). They have now released 2.0.15 WITHOUT FIXING THE ISSUE.

The problem is, according to Claude itself, the system reminder is sending ENTIRE FILES AS REMINDERS when claude has edited a file. I have confirmed this DOES NOT HAPPEN IN 2.0.10 but DOES happen in 2.0.13,2.0.14 AND 2.0.15. Are you guys going to FIX this or continue to let your customers BLOW THROUGH THEIR TOKEN USAGE LIMITS AT 20 TIMES THE NORMAL RATE?

I just had a strange case, just by opening and closing Claude, it used 1% of current session.

<img width="850" height="258" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/954fdf13-c5ae-4565-84d4-37f09bf9c622" />

+1

I just had a strange case, just by opening and closing Claude, it used 1% of current session. <img width="850" height="258" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/954fdf13-c5ae-4565-84d4-37f09bf9c622" />

Yes because it receives instructions before you start from claude.md and system instructions

> I just had a strange case, just by opening and closing Claude, it used 1% of current session. > <img alt="Image" width="850" height="258" src="https://private-user-images.githubusercontent.com/2513038/501378452-954fdf13-c5ae-4565-84d4-37f09bf9c622.png?jwt=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.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.oEW87TmSxPFfO1w1VqoeIZsCgcfxDXBIg5iG-QB-ksg"> Yes because it receives instructions before you start from claude.md and system instructions

This is my claude.md file, as you can see it has 48 lines all, not to complicated. What is more strange is that every time I close/open session, in the end after making frontend changes it runs "npm run build", which I wrote in instructions not to do so. It said that I need to specifically say to read claude.md everytime I start a session, because it does not read automatically.

So, it is spending 1% for that. I think it is to much for simple 48 lines of instructions, and it is spending un-neccessary because it does not comply with it later, it again ruins "npm run build" even that this is the first instruction.

<img width="869" height="1060" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/75972f2a-532c-43fb-8dd6-de9c13ce7c39" />

The system prompt is loaded every time you start claude code. That + tool description tokens are where your 1%(~20k tokens) is coming from on a simple start and exit. My startup usage is between 18k and 40k depending what Im working on because your CLAUDE.md files are ALSO loaded. Just use /context to see what was loaded before you do ANYTHING when you open Claude Code. It lists it all. ALL of that is ALREADY USED by the time you get to the prompt screen. You can't prevent it from happening. You CAN use your own system prompt now(--system-prompt cli argument) AND you can empty your CLAUDE.md files, but you can NEVER remove the built in tool descriptions so it will NEVER be 0 tokens used even if you just open and close the app.

The system prompt is loaded every time you start claude code. That + tool description tokens are where your 1%(~20k tokens) is coming from on a simple start and exit. My startup usage is between 18k and 40k depending what Im working on because your CLAUDE.md files are ALSO loaded. Just use /context to see what was loaded before you do ANYTHING when you open Claude Code. It lists it all. ALL of that is ALREADY USED by the time you get to the prompt screen. You can't prevent it from happening. You CAN use your own system prompt now(--system-prompt cli argument) AND you can empty your CLAUDE.md files, but you can NEVER remove the built in tool descriptions so it will NEVER be 0 tokens used even if you just open and close the app.

Thank you for the details. But if claude.MD is read, why it does still the things that are stated there not to do? unless I tell explicitly to read claude.MD and not do them

Just because the system prompt is loaded in-memory doesn't mean Claude Code should be making any API calls with that system prompt alone. What would even be the point of that?

You seem to be misunderstanding how TOKEN usage works. The tokens were LOADED on startup of Claude code. THEY WERE USED. PERIOD. DONE. Usage was USED. Even if Claude didnt DO anything with it yet. That was sent to Anthropics servers and COUNTS TOWARD YOUR USAGE. ALWAYS. Open a close Claude Code and DO NOTHING ELSE and eventually you will eat your entire accounts limits. This is just how LLMs WORK.

@acidtech that is not in fact how LLMs work. There is absolutely zero need to send any tokens until the start of actual generation. Even if you take into account prompt caching for performance reasons, there is also zero need for the user themselves to cache the system prompt that is shared by the entire Claude Code userbase. And even if Claude Code does do that for some reason, that's simply bad UX that should have the option to be toggled off.

Why are you SO CERTAIN about something so blatantly FALSE? Your understanding is just hilariously WRONG. PERIOD. WRONG! 🤣

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it is still the case. I can barely do 20% of work until I hit usage limit in Pro. I started noticing that mid-November. I use Claude Code across many projects and it is not project specific. I do not have any global settings that would explain that.

+1

+1

+1

I'm having the same issue. Since the end of the x2 period (around the beginning of this year), any request I make to Claude (Sonnet 4.5) consumes an abnormal amount of allowed usage (both for the current session and the weekly limit).

I'm talking about basic requests (variable naming, comments, etc.) that result in editing 2/3 files top with a total of ~15 lines max, yet they consume a huge amount, around 10% of my limits, almost every single time.

I'm using Claude in VS Code with a Pro subscription.

I don’t have any info about token usage. I haven’t checked any of that, but something is clearly wrong and broken. I started looking for similar reports and found this ticket, which describes what I’m experiencing.

I’m willing to provide relevant debugging info (token counts, project context, etc.) if someone can tell me where to get it. Even then, I’m not sure how useful it will be, since I don’t have older data to compare against, I never needed to track it when Claude wasn’t burning through usage like this.

I'm having the same issue. Since the end of the x2 period (around the beginning of this year), any request I make to Claude (Sonnet 4.5) consumes an abnormal amount of allowed usage (both for the current session and the weekly limit). I'm talking about basic requests (variable naming, comments, etc.) that result in editing 2/3 files top with a total of ~15 lines max, yet they consume a huge amount, around 10% of my limits, almost every single time. I'm using Claude in VS Code with a Pro subscription. I don’t have any info about token usage. I haven’t checked any of that, but something is clearly wrong and broken. I started looking for similar reports and found this ticket, which describes what I’m experiencing. I’m willing to provide relevant debugging info (token counts, project context, etc.) if someone can tell me where to get it. Even then, I’m not sure how useful it will be, since I don’t have older data to compare against, I never needed to track it when Claude wasn’t burning through usage like this.

+1

I'm having the same issue. Since the end of the x2 period (around the beginning of this year), any request I make to Claude (Sonnet 4.5) consumes an abnormal amount of allowed usage (both for the current session and the weekly limit). I'm talking about basic requests (variable naming, comments, etc.) that result in editing 2/3 files top with a total of ~15 lines max, yet they consume a huge amount, around 10% of my limits, almost every single time. I'm using Claude in VS Code with a Pro subscription. I don’t have any info about token usage. I haven’t checked any of that, but something is clearly wrong and broken. I started looking for similar reports and found this ticket, which describes what I’m experiencing. I’m willing to provide relevant debugging info (token counts, project context, etc.) if someone can tell me where to get it. Even then, I’m not sure how useful it will be, since I don’t have older data to compare against, I never needed to track it when Claude wasn’t burning through usage like this.

+1

Same problem here, I paid 50 USD yesterday for extra usage and I used 10 prompts, this can't be right.

Same problem on claude Max, can't work more than 2hish before hitting limits.
Considering going back to free at this point

Same problem today, been fine for weeks (i.e. never hitting the 5 hour limit, or even close, usually would be on 50% by the time the 5 hours was up). This afternoon just went through 8% in 5 minutes of trivial coding with zero changes to workflow or anything else.

I'm having the same issue. Since the end of the x2 period (around the beginning of this year), any request I make to Claude (Sonnet 4.5) consumes an abnormal amount of allowed usage (both for the current session and the weekly limit). I'm talking about basic requests (variable naming, comments, etc.) that result in editing 2/3 files top with a total of ~15 lines max, yet they consume a huge amount, around 10% of my limits, almost every single time. I'm using Claude in VS Code with a Pro subscription. I don’t have any info about token usage. I haven’t checked any of that, but something is clearly wrong and broken. I started looking for similar reports and found this ticket, which describes what I’m experiencing. I’m willing to provide relevant debugging info (token counts, project context, etc.) if someone can tell me where to get it. Even then, I’m not sure how useful it will be, since I don’t have older data to compare against, I never needed to track it when Claude wasn’t burning through usage like this.

+1

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