"API Error: Usage credits required for 1M context · run /usage-credits to turn them on (they take effect after you restart Claude Code), or /model to switch to standard context"
Updated
"API Error: Usage credits required for 1M context · run /usage-credits to turn them on (they take effect after you restart Claude Code), or /model to switch to standard context" means the model you picked uses the 1M-token context window and your plan includes it only through usage credits. The Error reference calls it an entitlement check, not a quota exhaustion: it fires even with session and weekly capacity remaining. No reset clears it; /model or /usage-credits does.
- Last reset
- 04 SEP 20:08Z
- Status
- OVERDUE
The gap since the last reset is past 1.5x the recent median.
- Next est.
- ANY TIME
- Days since
- 13.1
days
What does "API Error: Usage credits required for 1M context · run /usage-credits to turn them on (they take effect after you restart Claude Code), or /model to switch to standard context" mean?
The selected model uses the 1M-token extended context window, and your plan only includes it through usage credits. The Error reference is explicit: "This is an entitlement check, not a quota exhaustion. It fires even when your session and weekly allowances have capacity remaining."
Claude Code runs the check when you pick the model with /model, and only on a direct connection to the Anthropic API. When the error appears mid-conversation because the context grew past 200K tokens, current versions compact the conversation back under the standard limit automatically; before v2.1.172 the error repeated on every request and /clear was the way out.
The wording has changed. Before v2.1.268 the message ended with "run /usage-credits to turn them on, or /model to switch to standard context" and did not mention restarting. An even older variant, reported in issue #61828 in May 2026, told users to turn on usage credits at claude.ai/settings/usage or use --model; that issue was filed as "Usage limit reached" with session usage at 2% and weekly at 32%.
Which window is full?
| Window | Resets | Where to check |
|---|---|---|
| None: an entitlement check, not a usage window | Never; the error does not depend on how much you have used | /usage shows the session and weekly bars, which will still have room |
What to do when you see it
- Run /model and pick the variant without [1m]
That falls back to the standard context window. It is the docs' first step.
- Or turn on usage credits
Where the message names /usage-credits, run it to turn on metered billing for the 1M variant on Pro and Max, or to request usage credits from your admin on Team and Enterprise. Restart Claude Code afterwards; until you do, the session stays at the standard limit.
- Check where the 1M model is set
If the error persists after /model, a 1M model ID may be set in a configuration location that takes precedence; the docs list them under Setting your model.
- Remove 1M variants from the picker
Set CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_1M_CONTEXT=1 to take the [1m] models out of /model entirely.
When does it reset?
Your own window: this error is not caused by a full window, so no reset clears it. Your session limit keeps resetting every five hours and your weekly limit at its fixed time, and the help center notes that usage credits do not affect that timing; the fix is a model choice or usage credits, not waiting.
Account-wide resets: an official reset does not change plan entitlements either. The board above records resets Anthropic announces, each linked to its original post; none of them turns 1M context on for a plan that includes it only through usage credits.
Related errors
FAQ
Will waiting for my session or weekly reset fix this?
No. The Error reference says it is an entitlement check, not a quota exhaustion, and that it fires even when your session and weekly allowances have capacity remaining. Switch to a standard-context model with /model or turn on usage credits.
Why does it say usage limit reached when /usage shows 2%?
Because an older wording was easy to misread. Issue #61828 (2026-05-23) reports "Usage limit reached" with session usage at 2% and weekly at 32%; the message in that report was the older 1M-context variant pointing to claude.ai/settings/usage and --model. Current builds say "Usage credits required for 1M context".
What changed in v2.1.268?
The message now says the credits take effect after you restart Claude Code. Before v2.1.268 it ended with "run /usage-credits to turn them on, or /model to switch to standard context" and did not mention restarting.
It appeared in the middle of a long session. Do I need to do anything?
Usually not. When the context grows past 200K tokens, current versions compact the conversation back under the standard limit and keep the session there. Before v2.1.172 the error repeated on every request, including /compact, and /clear was the recovery.
Sources
- Claude Code docs: Error reference — "Usage credits required for 1M context"verified 2026-09-18
- anthropics/claude-code issue #61828 (2026-05-23): [BUG] Claude Code shows 'Usage limit reached' despite session at 2% and weekly at 32% (older 1M-context wording)verified 2026-09-17
- Claude Code docs: Error reference — "You've hit your session limit"verified 2026-09-18
- Claude Help Center: Manage usage credits for paid Claude plansverified 2026-09-17
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