Claude Code limits come in two windows on Pro and Max: a five-hour session limit and a weekly limit, both shared with your Claude chat use. Check them with /usage inside Claude Code, and keep them in view between sessions with UsageAtlas, a free, open-source desktop app that shows remaining capacity, reset times and an alert for each window.
The two windows
Anthropic's help center says both paid individual plans carry a five-hour session limit and a weekly limit. Max plans also have a separate weekly limit for Fable. Team and Enterprise seats work the same way, with a rolling five-hour window and a weekly window whose size depends on the seat tier.
Three details matter more than the size of each window:
- They are shared. Work in the Claude apps, in Claude Code and in your IDE all counts against the same limits.
- They run at the same time. Every request counts toward both windows. A heavy burst, such as a large fan-out of subagents, can use up the weekly allowance before the five-hour window has reset.
- They change. Anthropic adjusts allowances from time to time, which is why this guide does not quote numbers. Read your own figures from the tools below.
How to see your limits
| Where | What it shows | Good for |
|---|---|---|
/usage in Claude Code |
Plan usage bars, activity stats, a breakdown of what used your limits | A quick check in the session |
| Settings > Usage on claude.ai | Real-time consumption and usage credits | The account view |
Status line rate_limits fields |
Percent used and reset time for the five-hour and seven-day windows | Always-on text in the terminal |
| UsageAtlas | Remaining capacity, local reset time, alerts, history, other coding tools | Keeping it on screen all day |
The /usage breakdown is worth a look when a window drains faster than expected. On Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise plans it attributes recent use to skills, subagents, plugins and MCP servers, and it suggests changes such as trimming a large CLAUDE.md file.
Keep the limits on your desktop with UsageAtlas
UsageAtlas reads the Claude sign-in already stored on your computer and shows the supported five-hour and weekly windows, how much is left and when each resets in your local time. When Claude reports plan or extra-usage details, they sit next to the windows.
To get warned before you stall:
- Install UsageAtlas for Windows, macOS or Linux. Local tracking needs no account.
- Open the Claude Code view and check that both windows appear.
- Pick a remaining-capacity threshold for each window.
- Work as usual. You get one desktop alert per reset cycle when you cross the threshold, then quiet.
The app also keeps daily history, model mix and time-of-day patterns, so you can see which days burn through a window. Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot and other tools sit in the same dashboard, which helps on days you switch tools after a limit. It does not read prompts or responses, and its cost figures are estimates, not a bill.
When you only need one number in the middle of a session, /usage is still the fastest check. Provider data can arrive late, so if a deadline depends on it, glance at both.
What happens at the limit
Claude Code shows a warning as you get close, then a message such as "You've hit your session limit" with the reset time. From there you can wait, let Claude Code continue the task on its own after the reset, add usage credits with /usage-credits, or upgrade your plan. The limits guide on UsageAtlas covers the two clocks in short form.
FAQ
Does switching models get around the limit?
Not for the session or weekly limit, which cover all models. The separate Opus and Sonnet limits apply to one model family, so /model can help there.
Is UsageAtlas made by Anthropic? No. It is an independent open-source project that reads the usage data Claude reports.
Why does my weekly limit run out before Friday? Usage counts toward both windows at once, so long sessions with many subagents add up on the weekly clock even when each five-hour window resets.