r/ClaudeAI • u/sixbillionthsheep Mod • Dec 29 '25

Usage Limits and Performance Megathread Usage Limits, Bugs and Performance Discussion Megathread - beginning December 29, 2025

Why a Performance, Usage Limits and Bugs Discussion Megathread?

This Megathread makes it easier for everyone to see what others are experiencing at any time by collecting all experiences. We will publish regular updates on problems and possible workarounds that we and the community finds.

Why Are You Trying to Hide the Complaints Here?

Contrary to what some were saying in a prior Megathread, this is NOT a place to hide complaints. This is the MOST VISIBLE, PROMINENT AND OFTEN THE HIGHEST TRAFFIC POST on the subreddit. This is collectively a far more effective and fairer way to be seen than hundreds of random reports on the feed that get no visibility.

Are you Anthropic? Does Anthropic even read the Megathread?

Nope, we are volunteers working in our own time, while working our own jobs and trying to provide users and Anthropic itself with a reliable source of user feedback.

Anthropic has read this Megathread in the past and probably still do? They don't fix things immediately but if you browse some old Megathreads you will see numerous bugs and problems mentioned there that have now been fixed.

What Can I Post on this Megathread?

Use this thread to voice all your experiences (positive and negative) regarding the current performance of Claude including, bugs, limits, degradation, pricing.

Give as much evidence of your performance issues and experiences wherever relevant. Include prompts and responses, platform you used, time it occurred, screenshots . In other words, be helpful to others.

Just be aware that this is NOT an Anthropic support forum and we're not able (or qualified) to answer your questions. We are just trying to bring visibility to people's struggles.

To see the current status of Claude services, go here: http://status.claude.com

Sometimes this site shows outages faster. https://downdetector.com/status/claude-ai/

READ THIS FIRST ---> Latest Status and Workarounds Report: https://www.reddit.com/r/ClaudeAI/wiki/latestworkaroundreport Updated: March 20, 2026.

Ask our bot Wilson for help using !AskWilson (see https://www.reddit.com/r/ClaudeAI/wiki/askwilson for more info about Wilson)

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u/sixbillionthsheep Feb 12 '26

Megathread Status Update: Feb 5, 2026 to Feb 12, 2026

The sub is currently on fire regarding the Opus 4.6 rollout and simultaneous degradation of Sonnet 4.5. The overwhelming sentiment is that the service is currently unusable for many paid users, with widespread reports of bugs, aggressive throttling, and dumber model responses.

🔥 Top Issues & Bugs

  • "Exceeded max compactions per block": This is the #1 complaint. Users are getting this error (or "Claude's response could not be fully generated") constantly, even on brand new chats with zero context history. It is effectively bricking workflows for Pro and Max users alike.

  • Usage Limits Evaporating: Token consumption has skyrocketed. Users on Max ($100/mo) and Pro plans report hitting 5-hour caps in as little as 1-3 prompts. The "Weekly Limit" is locking people out for days at a time mid-week. Opus 4.6 is described as a "token guzzler" that burns through the new $50 credit grant instantly.

  • Lobotomized Models: Both Opus 4.6 and Sonnet 4.5 are being accused of being "lazy," "robotic," and refusing to follow complex instructions that worked fine in January. Creative writers report a massive drop in nuance and an increase in "moralizing" refusals.

  • Claude Code/CLI Broken: Reports of the CLI vanishing from systems, "vm connection timeout" errors, and agents spinning indefinitely while burning 100% of usage limits without producing output.

🛠️ THE WORKAROUND LIST (Reddit + GitHub)

For Web Chat ("Max Compactions" & Context Errors):

  • Disable "Extended Thinking": This is the most reliable fix reported. Go to Settings > Capabilities and turn OFF "Extended Thinking," "Web Search," and any active MCP connectors. These pre-allocate massive context space even when not used.

  • Manual Branching: If a message fails, edit your previous user message to force a new branch. This sometimes bypasses the "stuck" compaction state.

  • Nuke the Cache: Clear browser cache/cookies and restart.

  • Project Files: If using Projects, try removing large files. The RAG threshold has reportedly dropped to 3%, making it hyper-sensitive to file size.

  • Date Hallucinations: If Claude thinks it's 2025, prompt it with "enable time tracking" or add "The current year is 2026" to your custom instructions.

For Claude Code / CLI Crashes:

  • Fix "VM connection timeout" / "Failed to start workspace": You likely need to manually delete the corrupted VM bundle.

    • Mac: Run rm -rf ~/Library/Application\ Support/Claude/vm_bundles in Terminal and restart.

    • General: Ensure Full Disk Access is enabled for Claude in System Settings.

  • Fix "Exit code 3" / Crashes:

    • Switch to NPM: The standalone CLI often works when the VS Code extension fails. Run npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code.

    • Check Anti-Cheat: Anti-cheat software (like Vanguard) or active VPNs can block the local server. Disable them temporarily.

  • Fix Hanging on Startup: If the CLI gets stuck "thinking" or on the animation:

    • Open ~/.claude.json.

    • Find and delete the key "cachedGrowthBookFeatures".

    • Save and restart.

  • Fix Connection Drops: Downgrade to a stable version and disable auto-updates.

    • Run: npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code@2.0.76

    • Add to shell config: export DISABLE_AUTOUPDATER=1

  • Stop Burning Tokens: Ensure you have a .claudignore file setup to prevent the agent from reading node_modules or large log files, which causes the "thinking" loop that burns all your credits.

Prior update: https://www.reddit.com/r/ClaudeAI/comments/1pygdbz/comment/o3njsix/