How does Claude Code's 5-hour limit work?

Usage is counted in windows of about five hours that open with your first message, then refill. Long contexts, many agent steps and larger models use it faster. /usage shows what's left.

Pump · AI usage meter

Claude Code's 5-hour limit, explained

Claude Code shares your Claude plan's usage. It's counted in windows of about five hours: the window opens with your first message and closes five hours later, when your allowance refills. Paid plans also have a weekly cap.

Why you hit it sooner some days

Usage isn't a count of messages. Long conversations, big files in context, agents that run many steps and the larger models all use more of the window per request. Starting a fresh session (/clear) for a new task and picking a lighter model for simple work both make it last longer.

See how much is left

Type /usage in Claude Code. Limits change from time to time; Claude's help centre has the current ones.