Anthropic Imposes Unannounced Usage Limitations on Claude Code: A Closer Look at User Impact

Since Monday morning, Claude Code users, particularly those on the $200-per-month Max plan, have encountered unexpectedly restrictive usage limitations. These issues, widely discussed on Claude Code’s GitHub page, appear to disproportionately affect heavy service users.

Users are met with the message “Claude usage limit reached,” accompanied by a timeframe (often within hours) for when the limit will reset. However, the absence of an explicit announcement regarding changes in limits has led many to speculate that their subscription has been downgraded or that usage tracking is inaccurate.

One user expressed concerns about the altered usage tracking, stating, “Your system for monitoring usage limits has changed and is no longer accurate. Within a few minutes of making a few requests, I exceeded the 900 message limit.”

Upon request for comment, an Anthropic representative acknowledged the issues but declined to provide further details. The representative stated, “We are aware that some Claude Code users are experiencing slower response times and we are working diligently to address these issues.”

The recent developments have alarmed users, who received no prior notice of the changes and were not provided with guidance on future expectations. A user who requested anonymity shared that the usage limits have hampered progress on their project significantly. “The implementation of these limitations has halted any advancement,” they said . “I explored alternatives like Gemini and Kimi, but none currently match the capabilities offered by Claude Code.”

These problems coincide with broader issues within Anthropic’s network, as API users reported overload errors during the same period. Anthropic’s status page indicates six separate issues over the past four days. Notably, the network maintains a 100% uptime for the week.

While loading errors are relatively common, Anthropic’s new approach to usage limits has caused considerable confusion among users, many of whom were previously unaware of the limitations. Some of the confusion stems from Anthropic’s pricing system, which sets tiered limits without providing a guaranteed access level. The Max plan, priced at $200 per month, promises 20 times the usage limit of a Pro subscription. The Pro plan offers five times the limit of the free plan. However, Anthropic indicates that the free user limit “will vary by demand” and does not set an absolute value. This leaves users uncertain about when their service will be restricted due to a lack of clarity regarding usage limits.

The $200 Max plan has been popular among heavy service users, with some viewing it as unsustainable for Anthropic in the long term. The user we spoke to stated that the plan often allows them to make over $1,000 worth of calls (measured in API pricing) daily. As a result, they were not surprised by the increasing restrictions but hoped for clearer communication from the company.

“Transparency is key,” they said. “The lack of communication only serves to erode trust among users.”