Anthropic’s Claude Code users hit with sudden strict usage limits
The issue started Monday morning. Heavy users, especially on the $200-a-month Max plan, faced unexpected “Claude usage limit reached” messages. Limits reset in hours but with no official heads-up, many think their subscriptions were downgraded or their usage tracked wrong.
Multiple complaints flooded Claude Code’s GitHub issues pages. One user called out inaccurate tracking: 
“Your tracking of usage limits has changed and is no longer accurate,”
the user stated. “There is no way in the 30 minutes of a few requests I have hit the 900 messages.”
An Anthropic rep confirmed they know about slower responses but gave no clear explanation:
“We’re aware that some Claude Code users are experiencing slower response times,”
the representative said, “and we’re working to resolve these issues.”
Users are frustrated. One who asked to stay anonymous told TechCrunch the limits stopped his project dead. He tried Gemini and Kimi but says nothing matches Claude Code’s abilities right now.
The congestion hits several API users too, with overload errors reported. Anthropic’s status page shows six incidents over four days—though it claims 100% uptime.
Confusion around limits stems from unclear tiered pricing. The Max plan promises 20x more usage than Pro, and Pro offers 5x more than free. Yet free plans vary limits “by demand,” leaving all users in the dark on exact caps.
The Max plan is popular for heavy users who say it’s unsustainable for Anthropic, since one user logs over $1000 in API calls daily on it. He wasn’t shocked by tougher limits but demands transparency:
“Just be transparent,”
the user said. “The lack of communication just causes people to lose confidence in them.”
Anthropic’s silence on exact changes has sparked backlash from dedicated users who need predictable, reliable access.
