Claude Code usage limits, explained
Claude Code shares one set of limits with claude.ai: a five-hour session, a weekly limit and, sometimes, a limit on one model family. Here is how each works and what Anthropic does and doesn’t tell you about them.
Short answer. Pro and Max have a session limit that resets every five hours and a weekly limit that resets at a fixed time assigned to your account. Max 5x and Max 20x give five and twenty times Pro’s per-session allowance. Anthropic publishes no hours or prompt counts. Check what’s left with /usage.
Limits by plan
| Plan | Price | Session (5 hours) | Weekly |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pro | $20/mo ($17/mo yearly) | Baseline | Yes, across all models |
| Max 5x | $100/mo | 5× Pro | Yes |
| Max 20x | $200/mo | 20× Pro | Yes |
| Team, Enterprise (seats) | Per seat | Per-seat allowance; Premium seats get more than Standard | Yes |
| Enterprise (usage-based) | Per use | No per-seat limits | — |
Anthropic also says it may limit usage in other ways, such as monthly caps or limits on particular models and features.
How the limits work
- Session limit. Opens with your first message and resets five hours later. Message:
You’ve hit your session limit · resets 3:45pm. - Weekly limit. Applies across all models on Pro and Max and resets at a fixed weekly time Anthropic assigns to your account, so it differs from person to person. Message:
You’ve hit your weekly limit · resets Mon 12:00am. - Model limits. Opus and Sonnet can have limits of their own:
You’ve hit your Opus limit. Only these can be sidestepped with/model. - Shared everywhere. claude.ai, Claude Code and Claude Desktop all draw from the same limits.
Why there are no hour counts
Usage is measured in what your requests cost, not in time or messages. Claude Code sends the whole conversation with each request, so the same question costs more late in a long session than at the start, and Opus costs more than Sonnet. That’s why Anthropic gives only relative sizes, and why “how many hours” has no single answer. Your own /usage breakdown is the best guide.
How to check your Claude Code usage
/usageshows plan usage bars, reset times and activity. On paid plans it also breaks recent usage down by skills, subagents, plugins and MCP servers, and flags habits such as long context. Pressdorwfor the last day or week.- Settings → Usage on claude.ai shows the same bars and the next reset.
- The status line can show them all the time: on Pro and Max, Claude Code passes
rate_limits.five_hourandrate_limits.seven_daywith the share used and the reset time. - Warnings appear at 85%:
You’ve used 85% of your session limit · resets 3:45pm.
At the limit
Since v2.1.234, Claude Code waits in the open session and continues the task on its own after the reset; this is on by default. You can also add usage credits with /usage-credits (billed at API rates), use a free limit reset if you have one, or continue in another agent. What to do when you hit the limit →
Claude Code limits in your MacBook notch
CapaTheNotch shows the session and weekly windows and when they reset, next to Codex or OpenCode Go. It asks Claude Code through its own /usage command, with an optional status line bridge for instant updates, and never reads your Claude credentials. Free and open source.
Sources
- What is the Pro plan? and What is the Max plan? (Anthropic)
- Claude Code with Team or Enterprise (Anthropic)
- Error reference, Manage costs, Status line and Interactive mode (Claude Code docs)
- Claude plans and pricing (Anthropic)
FAQ
How many hours of Claude Code do I get on Pro?
Anthropic doesn’t publish hours or prompt counts. It publishes only relative sizes: Max 5x gives five times the Pro per-session allowance and Max 20x twenty times. How far that goes depends on your model, context size and tools.
When does the Claude Code limit reset?
The session limit resets five hours after it starts, which is your first message. The weekly limit resets at a fixed time each week assigned to your account; Settings → Usage on claude.ai shows it.
Is the Claude Code limit separate from claude.ai?
No. Claude, Claude Code and Claude Desktop all count toward the same usage limits.
How do I see my Claude Code usage?
Run /usage in Claude Code, open Settings → Usage on claude.ai, or add the rate_limits fields to your status line. Claude Code also warns at 85% of a limit.
What are Opus and Sonnet limits?
Separate limits for one model family. When one runs out, /model to a model from another family keeps you working, which doesn’t help with the session or weekly limit.