Feature Request: Pro Plan 5-Hour Window Usage Visibility

Feature Request: Pro Plan 5-Hour Window Usage Visibility

Summary

As a Claude Pro plan subscriber, I need visibility into my current usage against the 5-hour rolling window token limit to better manage my sessions and avoid unexpected interruptions.

Problem Statement

Currently, there is no way for Pro plan users to:

• Check how many tokens/messages they've used in the current 5-hour window
• See how much capacity remains before hitting the limit
• Know when their 5-hour window will reset
• Plan their work accordingly to avoid hitting limits during critical tasks

Users only discover they've hit the limit when they receive a rate limit error, which can be disruptive to their workflow.

Proposed Solution

Option 1: Add Usage Data to Statusline JSON

Extend the JSON data passed to custom statusline scripts to include:

{
  "pro_plan_window": {
    "output_tokens_used": 35000,
    "output_tokens_limit": 44000,
    "usage_percentage": 79.5,
    "window_started_at": "2025-10-15T18:33:00Z",
    "window_resets_at": "2025-10-15T23:33:00Z",
    "minutes_until_reset": 47
  }
}

This would allow users to display usage in their custom statuslines, for example:

Sonnet 4.5 | tesla-marketplace  main ● | October 15, 2025 11:42 PM | Window: 79% (47m until reset)

Option 2: Add a /usage or /window Slash Command

Create a command similar to /context that displays:

5-Hour Window Usage

[████████████████████░░░░] 79% (35k/44k tokens)

Window started: 6:33 PM
Resets in:      47 minutes
Next reset:     11:33 PM

💡 Tip: You have approximately 9 messages remaining in this window

Option 3: Both Solutions

Implement both the statusline JSON extension (for always-visible tracking) and the slash command (for detailed usage breakdowns).

Use Cases

1. Avoid Workflow Interruptions: Plan intensive refactoring or feature development when you have sufficient remaining capacity
2. Session Management: Know when to take a break or switch to lighter tasks as you approach the limit
3. Team Coordination: Better understand and communicate usage patterns when multiple team members share costs
4. Debugging Sessions: Allocate sufficient capacity for troubleshooting complex issues
5. Learning and Exploration: Budget usage for learning sessions vs production work

Benefits

• Transparency: Users understand their subscription limits and usage patterns
• Better Planning: Make informed decisions about when to tackle complex tasks
• Reduced Frustration: No unexpected interruptions mid-workflow
• Improved User Experience: Aligns with professional development workflows
• Subscription Value: Helps users maximize the value of their Pro plan

Additional Notes

• Usage limits are shared between claude.ai and Claude Code, so showing aggregate usage would be most helpful
• Consider showing both token-based and message-based estimates since different tasks consume different amounts
• Weekly quota information (added in August 2025) would also be valuable to display
• Similar functionality could benefit Claude Max users with their respective limits

Related Features

This complements existing features:

• /context command (shows conversation context usage)
• /cost command (shows API costs for team/enterprise users)
• Custom statusline support
• Analytics and monitoring tools

Priority

High - This affects the core user experience for all Pro and Max plan subscribers who rely on Claude Code for professional development work.

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Submitted by: Pro Plan User
Date: October 15, 2025
Claude Code Version: 2.0.19