Anthropic Implements Weekly Rate Limits on Claude Code Amid Excessive Usage Concerns

Anthropic unveils new rate limits to curb Claude Code power users | TechCrunch

Anthropic says its rolling out new weekly rate limits for Claude to curb usage among subscribers who are running its AI coding tool, Claude Code, "continuously in the background, 24/7." Anthropic says the rate limits also aim to stop a handful of users who are violating Claude's usage policy by sharing accounts and reselling access to Claude Code. The new rate limits will go into effect August 28 for subscribers to Anthropic's $20-per-month Pro plan, as well as its $100 and $200-per-month Max plans, the company said Monday in an email to subscribers and a post on X. Anthropic says its existing usage limits, which reset every five hours, will remain in place. The company is also introducing two new weekly rate limits that reset every seven days; one is an overall usage limit, whereas the other is specific to Anthropic's most advanced AI model, Claude Opus 4. Anthropic says Max subscribers can purchase additional usage, beyond what the rate limit provides, at standard API rates. The announcement comes just weeks after Anthropic quietly introduced rate limits for Claude Code. The company said at the time it was aware of the issues, but declined to elaborate further. While Anthropic's AI coding tool has a been a hit with developers, the company seems to be having a difficult time serving it broadly. Anthropic's status page shows that Claude Code has experienced a partial or major outage at least seven times in the last month -- perhaps because some power users seem to be running Claude Code nonstop. Anthropic has said before that it's very constrained when it comes to computational resources, which seems to be the case for most AI model providers today. Most AI companies are racing to bring new AI data centers online to meet the massive demands of serving and training their AI models. Several providers of AI coding tools are revisiting the pricing strategy around their products. In June, the company behind Cursor, Anysphere, changed the way it priced usage for its $20-per-month Pro plan to limit power users from abusing the plan. However, Anysphere later apologized for poorly communicating those changes, leading to some users paying more than they expected. Another AI coding tool provider, Replit, made similar pricing changes in June as well. Anthropic did immediately respond to TechCrunch's question around the details of the rate limits. The company notes that this limit will affect less than 5% of subscribers, based on their current usage patterns. Most Pro users can expect 40-80 hours of Sonnet 4 within their weekly rate limits, according to Anthropic. However, Anthropic notes that usage may vary based on codebase size and other factors. In an email to Claude subscribers, Anthropic says it's committed to "supporting long-running use cases through other options in the future." However, the company claims these rate limits will help them maintain reliable service broadly in the short term.

Anthropic: We're Glad You Like Claude Code, But Stop Reselling Access

Overeager vibe coders are abusing the platform, prompting Anthropic to impose weekly rate limits. Anthropic has introduced weekly rate limits for its Claude chatbot focused on curbing excessive -- and forbidden -- usage of Claude Code. "Claude Code has experienced unprecedented demand since launch [on June 4]," the company says. "However, we've identified extreme usage by a small number of customers that impacts capacity for our broader community." The rate limits take effect on Aug. 28 for those who subscribe to the $20-per-month Pro plan, $100 Max plan, and $200 Max plan. The problem is that some subscribers are selling access to their login credentials to help cover the cost of premium plans. However, that violates Anthropic's policy and drives up usage on each account. Others "are turning Claude AI Pro account sharing into a small side hustle by renting access or offering AI-powered services based on it," says DICloak.com Other overeager vibe coders are "multi-clauding," or running five instances of Claude Code in parallel. They kick off different tasks in each one and return once it's ready for review. This is also prohibited, but only affects an estimated 5% of "power users," Anthropic tells us. Weekly limits are necessary "to keep the service reliable, and most users won't notice a difference." Previous rate limits, which went into effect in July, prompted backlash from Claude Code users. As TechCrunch reports, subscribers hit those limits faster than usual and had to wait for them to reset, usually for a few hours. It's easy to see how changing the terms of a subscription, especially one that's hundreds of dollars per month, would not go over well with users. But the computing power behind chatbots like Claude is wildly expensive and in short supply. Even heavyweights like OpenAI struggle to find enough GPUs for new launches. Anthropic wants power users to pay extra for their activity, and notes that "Max users can still purchase additional capacity at standard API rates when needed."

Anthropic is rate limiting Claude Code, blaming some users for never turning it off

Anthropic has introduced new weekly rate limits on its Claude Code tool for AI assistance with coding tasks. The move comes shortly after the AI company quietly began implementing rate limits on the Claude Code service, which is an agentic side of the AI chatbot that is capable of reading code, editing files, performing tests and pushing GitHub commits. According to a series of posts from Anthropic on X, these changes are in response to some users who have been running Claude Code "continuously in the background, 24/7." Not only does that add up to a hefty environmental toll, the instances of non-stop use are also financially expensive for Anthropic. The company additionally questioned whether some users were violating terms of service by sharing or reselling accounts. Claude Code is only available on Anthropic's Pro and Max plans, the most expensive of which is $200 a month. Those subscriptions which will start seeing the weekly rate limits beginning in August. "We estimate they'll apply to less than 5% of subscribers based on current usage," the company said. For those people who do run up against the limits on the Max plan, there will be an option to purchase extra usage at standard API rates.

Anthropic is putting a limit on a Claude AI feature because people are using it '24/7'

Anthropic has implemented weekly rate limits on its Claude Code tool because it says programmers are using it too much. According to a series of posts from the company, users have been running Claude Code -- the agentic side of one of the best ChatGPT alternatives -- "continuously in the background, 24/7." Claude Code is only available through Anthropic's paid-for Pro and Max subscription plans. It sits inside the Claude chatbot and uses natural language to help with coding tasks, from generating the code and debugging it to building out applications with a supplied SDK and integrating with Github. The most expensive Max plan, like other AI providers, runs to $200 a month, so you may think the customers are just trying to get their money's worth. But running the tool continuously adds up to some serious costs for Anthropic which has to manage both compute load and environmental costs to provide the service. The company says affected users will start seeing the new weekly rate limits begin in August 28 and says it estimates they'll "apply to less than 5% of subscribers based on current usage." However, it also notes one user consumed "tens of thousands in model usage" on a $200 plan. "We're still exploring the best ways to ensure as broad access as possible to Claude Code," the company said in a follow-up tweet. "If you're a power user who has feedback on how we can support your specific use of Claude Code, we'd love to hear from you." For anyone that does go over the limits, they'll have the option to purchase more usage above and beyond their subscription payments. And if you've not used Claude yourself yet, here's why we think Anthropic's AI chatbot is quietly crushing it when compared to ChatGPT or Google Gemini.

Anthropic throttles Claude rate limits, devs call foul

Want smarter insights in your inbox? Sign up for our weekly newsletters to get only what matters to enterprise AI, data, and security leaders. Subscribe Now Anthropic announced today it would introduce weekly rate limits for Claude subscribers, claiming that some users have been running Claude 24/7, with the majority of usage centered around its Claude Code product. Overall weekly limits will begin on August 28 and will be in conjunction with the current 5-hour limits. Anthropic said the throttling will only affect 5% of its total users. Not surprisingly, many developers and other users reacted negatively to the news, claiming that the move unfairly punishes more people for the actions of a few. "Claude Code has experienced unprecedented demand since launch. We designed our plans to give developers generous access to Claude, and while most users operate within normal patterns, we've also seen policy violations like account sharing and reselling access, which affects performance for everyone," Anthropic said in a statement sent to VentureBeat. It added in an email sent to Claude subscribers that it also noticed "advanced usage patterns like running Claude 24/7 in the background that are impacting system capacity for all." Anthropic added that it continues to support "long running use cases through other options in the future, but until then, weekly limits will help us maintain reliable service for everyone." The new rate limits Anthropic did not specify what the rate limits are, but said most Claude Max 20x users "can expect 240-480 hours of Sonnet 4 and 24-40 hours of Opus 4 within their weekly rate limits." Heavy users of the Opus model or those who run multiple instances of Claude Code simultaneously can reach these limits sooner. The company insisted that "most users won't notice any difference, the weekly limits are designed to support typical daily use across your projects." For users that do hit the weekly usage limit, they can buy more usage "at standard API rates to continue working without interruption." The additional rate limits come as users experienced reliability issues with Claude, which Anthropic acknowledged. The company stated that it is working on addressing any remaining issues over the next few days. Anthropic has been making waves in the developer community, even helping push for the ubiquity of AI coding tools. In June, the company transformed the Claude AI assistant into a no-code platform for all users and launched a financial services-specific version of Claude for the Enterprise tier. Rate limits exist to ensure that model providers and chat platforms have the bandwidth to respond to user prompts. Although some companies, such as Google, have slowly removed limits for specific models, others, including OpenAI and Anthropic, offer different tiers of rate limits to their users. The idea is that power users will pay more for the compute power they need, while users who use these platforms less will not have to. However, rate limits may limit the use cases people can perform, especially for those experimenting with long-running agents or working on larger coding projects. Backlash already Understandably, many paying Claude users found the decision to throttle their usage limits distasteful, decrying that Anthropic is penalizing power users for the actions of a few who are abusing the system. Although other Claude users gave Anthropic the benefit of the doubt, understanding that there is little the company can do when people use the models and the Claude platform to their limits.

Anthropic Users Melt Down After Company Institutes New Rate Limits

Anthropic is changing its usage limits -- and its fanbase is already pointing fingers. In a post on X, the OpenAI rival announced that it's introducing new weekly rate limits to paid subscribers after it says a small handful of users abused their privileges and, essentially, ruined it for everyone else. "Claude Code has seen unprecedented demand, especially as part of our Max plans," Anthropic explained, referencing its highest subscription tier that runs $100 to $200 per month, depending on usage. "We'll continue to support this growth while we work on making Claude Code even better. But for now, we need to make some changes." In a subsequent tweet, the AI company said, diplomatically, that some of Claude Code's "biggest fans" have been running the tool "continuously in the background, 24/7." "These uses are remarkable and we want to enable them," the tweet continued. "But a few outlying cases are very costly to support. For example, one user consumed tens of thousands in model usage on a $200 plan." To understand what's going on here, we need to dig a bit into Anthropic's pricing structure. Announced in April, the company's Max tier offers so-called "power users," or those who use its models a lot, the ability to send up to 900 messages every five hours, when it resets. Though its $200-per-month price point parallels OpenAI's GPT Pro, which offers unlimited access to specific models, Anthropic Max isn't technically unlimited. A few weeks ago, it instituted a rate limit of 900 message every five hours -- which is still a lot, but was instantly met with fury by users. In a bigger sense, the fracas illustrates a looming problem for the AI industry: how it's going to actually make money, since training and running AI models is extremely expensive. With users accustomed to freemium models like ChatGPT, many are in for a rude shock as companies like Anthropic start to raise prices to cover their costs. In a statement to TechCrunch, an Anthropic spokesperson said that Max subscribers will be able to use up to 480 hours of Sonnet 4, its latest coding model, per week -- a figure more than double the total number of hours in a week, but which could be spread across multiple workers on a team. The spokesperson said that "most users won't notice a difference" -- but those who count themselves among that small minority of serious power users are already peeved. "My AI bill is already $350 this month," one Redditor remarked on r/artificial. "I think I'm going to look back on [this era] as 'the good old days.'" "Thanks for ruining everything," another user on the r/ClaudeAI subreddit bemoaned. "Congrats dipsh***, you DDoS'd yourselves into rate limits," wrote another r/ClaudeAI user, referencing the distributed denial of service (DDoS) style of hack that constantly barrages servers with excessive traffic. At the end of the day, it might seem impossible to imagine using any AI tool as much as these power users seem to be doing -- but luckily, they'll have until August 28, when the new usage limits hit, to finish up their power-hungry projects.

Anthropic's New Rate Limits for Claude Code Sparks Backlash | AIM

Anthropic is introducing new weekly rate limits for its Claude Pro and Max subscribers starting August 28, a move the company says will impact less than 5% of users based on current patterns. However, it's already causing stress among developers relying on Claude Code. In an email to users and an X thread on July 28, Anthropic cited cases of misuse, such as 24/7 background runs and account reselling, as reasons for the change. "One user consumed tens of thousands in model usage on a $200 plan," the company noted. New weekly limits will now apply alongside the existing five-hour session resets, including a separate cap for Opus 4. While the company claims most users "won't notice any difference", as per an email to its users, the backlash has been swift. Developers on Reddit have voiced concerns about the vagueness of the limits and lack of transparency. "We need a dashboard to track our usage. This becomes a big guessing game, which is unacceptable when we are paying $200 per month," a Reddit user wrote. Others called out the disparity between promised and practical usage. "The 20x plan is now more like 5x," another Reddit user mentioned, while another noted they now get less than 3.5 hours daily of Claude Opus despite heavy usage. Anthropic plans to allow Max users to buy additional capacity at standard API rates. Still, many power users feel blindsided. A cap is acceptable, another user commented, but without knowing its limit, they would be waiting for the first strong competitor to emerge. With AI tools like Claude increasingly embedded in developer workflows, the lack of clarity and real-time usage insight may prove more disruptive than the limits themselves.

Anthropic is adding new weekly limits to its Claude AI

Anthropic is implementing new weekly rate limits for its Claude artificial intelligence service, specifically targeting high-usage subscribers of Claude Code, effective August 28. These new limitations aim to mitigate excessive continuous usage of Claude Code, particularly by subscribers operating the AI coding tool "continuously in the background, 24/7." Anthropic also indicated that the rate limits are intended to address violations of Claude's usage policy, which include account sharing and the unauthorized reselling of access to Claude Code. The new weekly rate limits will apply to all subscribers across Anthropic's pricing tiers: the $20-per-month Pro plan, and the $100- and $200-per-month Max plans. Anthropic communicated this development via an email to its subscribers and an official post on X. Anthropic confirmed that its existing usage limits, which currently reset every five hours, will remain active. In addition to these, two distinct weekly rate limits will be introduced, resetting every seven days. One of these new limits will be a general usage cap, while the second will specifically govern usage of Claude Opus 4, Anthropic's most advanced AI model. Max subscribers will retain the option to acquire additional usage beyond their allocated rate limits by purchasing it at standard API rates. This announcement follows a prior, unpublicized introduction of rate limits for Claude Code by Anthropic weeks earlier. At that time, Anthropic acknowledged existing issues but did not provide further details. While Claude Code has achieved significant adoption among developers, Anthropic has encountered challenges in scaling its service broadly. Anthropic's official status page indicates that Claude Code has experienced either partial or major outages on at least seven occasions within the last month. This service disruption has been attributed, in part, to consistent, high-intensity usage from some power users. Amie Rotherham, an Anthropic spokesperson, stated in an email to TechCrunch regarding the weekly rate limits, "Claude Code has experienced unprecedented demand since launch." Rotherham further clarified that the new limits are expected to affect "less than 5% of subscribers," based on their current usage patterns, and that "most users won't notice a difference." Anthropic provided specific usage hour estimates for its subscribers under the new weekly limits. Most Pro users can expect to receive between 40 and 80 hours of Sonnet 4 through Claude Code. Subscribers to the $100-per-month Max plan are projected to receive 140 to 280 hours of Sonnet 4, alongside 15 to 35 hours of Opus 4. For subscribers on the $200-per-month Max plan, the expected usage includes 240 to 480 hours of Sonnet 4 and 24 to 40 hours of Opus 4. Claude's new feature lets users design AI tools and run them instantly The company noted that actual usage may fluctuate depending on factors such as codebase size. Anthropic previously asserted that its $200 Max plan offered 20 times more usage than the Pro plan. However, based on the updated figures provided, the $200 Max plan now delivers approximately six times the Claude Code hours compared to the Pro plan. Anthropic has not clarified if the 20x figure remains applicable when measured in tokens or computational resources. Anthropic has previously indicated that it faces significant constraints regarding computational resources, a challenge common among many AI model providers. Numerous AI companies are actively engaged in establishing new AI data centers to address the substantial demands associated with serving and training their AI models. Other providers of AI coding tools have also revised their pricing strategies. In June, Anysphere, the company behind Cursor, modified its pricing for the $20-per-month Pro plan to restrict excessive usage by power users. Anysphere subsequently issued an apology for its inadequate communication of these changes, which resulted in some users incurring higher-than-anticipated costs. Replit, another provider of AI coding tools, implemented similar pricing adjustments in June. In an email to Claude subscribers, Anthropic affirmed its dedication to "supporting long-running use cases through other options in the future." The company maintains that these current rate limits are necessary to help ensure reliable service for the wider user base in the immediate term.

Anthropic Is Adding Additional Rate Limits on Its Paid Subscriptions

The company also spotted instances of account sharing and reselling Anthropic announced new weekly rate limits for its paid subscribers on Monday. The artificial intelligence (AI) firm highlighted that the decision to add an upper ceiling to the chatbot's usage was taken due to some users abusing Claude Code's usage. As per the company, some users were running the coding tool 24/7 in the background, which resulted in the consumption of extremely high computing power. Anthropic said the new rate limits will be applied from late August and will impact less than 5 percent of the total subscribers. In a post on X (formerly known as Twitter), the AI company revealed that starting August 28, the company will place new weekly rate limits on its paid subscribers, including both Claude Pro and Claude Max plans. Anthropic maintains that 95 percent of the subscriber base will not be impacted by this new restriction. According to a TechCrunch report, there are two new rate limits which will be applicable. The first is reportedly an overall usage limit which considers all the different features in the chatbot. The second rate limit is said to be placed on the Claude Opus 4, the company's most powerful AI model. "We'll also support Max plan users buying additional usage at standard API rates, if they choose to," Anthropic said in another post. Explaining the reason behind this measure, the AI firm said some users were abusing the usage threshold of the coding feature and consuming excessive processing power. Some users were running Claude Code nonstop in the background. "For example, one user consumed tens of thousands in model usage on a $200 plan," it added. The company also found some users violating usage policies by reselling and sharing accounts. As per the report, after the weekly limits are added, Pro users will likely get between 40 to 80 hours of Sonnet 4 usage when using Claue Code. Those on the $100 (roughly Rs. 8,700) Max subscription will reportedly get 140-280 hours of Sonnet 4, and 15-35 hours of Opus 4 usage. Finally, those subscribed to Claude's $200 (roughly Rs. 17,400) Max plans are said to receive 240-480 hours of Sonnet 4, and 24-40 hours of Opus 4. These numbers can vary based on the size of the codebase and other factors.

New Claude AI Usage Rate Limits : How Will You Adapt to the New Restrictions?

What if you woke up tomorrow to find your most trusted AI assistant suddenly limited in how much it could help you? For a small but significant group of users -- just 5% -- this scenario is now a reality. Anthropic's recent introduction of new weekly usage limits for its Claude AI plans has sparked a wave of questions, concerns, and adaptations. While these changes aim to promote fairness and sustainability, they also raise critical challenges for heavy users who depend on Claude for complex workflows. If you're someone who's built your productivity or creativity around this tool, these updates could feel like a seismic shift, forcing you to rethink how you work with AI. The question is: are you in the 5%, and if so, how will you adapt? In this overview of the new Claude usage limits, Ray Fernando breaks down what these new limits mean for users and explore the ripple effects they're creating across the AI community. You'll gain a clearer understanding of the updated caps, why they've been implemented, and how they might affect your workflows. Whether you're a developer managing intricate codebases or a creator pushing the boundaries of AI-driven projects, this shift could redefine how you approach your work. We'll also uncover strategies to optimize your usage, weigh the pros and cons of alternative solutions, and examine the broader implications for ethical AI practices. As you read on, consider how these changes might not just challenge your current processes but also inspire new ways to innovate within the constraints. The updated plans establish specific usage caps based on the service tier: These limits primarily affect heavy users, such as developers managing extensive codebases or running multiple parallel sessions. If your usage patterns align with these scenarios, you may encounter these thresholds sooner than anticipated. For users exceeding the limits, Anthropic provides the option to purchase additional usage at standard API rates. While this offers flexibility, it also raises questions about cost-effectiveness for those with high computational demands. Evaluating your workflows and resource allocation will be critical to navigating these changes efficiently. The implementation of these limits reflects Anthropic's commitment to addressing misuse and promoting fair usage across its platform. Common policy violations that prompted these changes include: By enforcing these restrictions, Anthropic aims to ensure equitable resource distribution and prevent exploitation of the service. If you've relied on practices such as shared accounts or other unauthorized methods to maximize access, adapting to these rules will be necessary to remain compliant. These measures also reflect a broader effort to maintain the platform's integrity and sustainability as its user base continues to grow. Here are more detailed guides and articles that you may find helpful on Claude AI. To help users stay within the new limits, Anthropic recommends using token consumption monitoring tools such as 'bunx CC usage' or 'npx CC usage'. These tools provide real-time insights into your usage patterns, allowing you to: This is particularly valuable for developers managing complex projects or running resource-intensive tasks. Proactive monitoring not only helps you stay compliant but also ensures that your workflows remain uninterrupted under the new constraints. For users who find the new limits restrictive, exploring alternative solutions may be necessary. Some viable options include: While these strategies can provide additional freedom, they also come with their own challenges. Evaluating the trade-offs between flexibility, cost, and complexity will be essential to determine the best path forward for your specific needs. The announcement of these changes has sparked significant discussion within the developer community. Key concerns raised include: These changes have also prompted broader conversations about ethical AI usage and resource sustainability. Balancing productivity, cost, and fairness is a challenge that extends beyond individual users, highlighting the need for industry-wide solutions. As AI technologies continue to evolve, fostering open dialogue and collaboration within the community will be critical to addressing these challenges effectively. From Anthropic's viewpoint, these updates are a necessary step to ensure the long-term sustainability of their services. By addressing policy violations and promoting fair usage, the company aims to maintain high-quality service for the majority of users while managing the demands of a rapidly growing user base. While the changes may pose challenges for heavy users, they reflect a broader commitment to ethical and responsible AI usage. Anthropic's approach underscores the importance of balancing resource availability with equitable access, making sure that the platform remains viable for all users in the long term. Adapting to these updates will be essential for those seeking to maximize the benefits of Claude AI while aligning with the platform's evolving policies.