Claude is limiting usage more aggressively during peak hours — here’s what changed

• Claude now burns through your 5-hour usage limits faster during weekday peak hours (5am–11am PT )
• The change wasn’t formally announced — it surfaced via an engineer’s post on X
• Your weekly limits haven’t changed, but when you use Claude matters more now than ever

Anthropic is reducing message limits for even Pro and Max customers during its peak hours in a new effort to cope with demand.

“To manage growing demand for Claude we're adjusting our 5 hour session limits for free/Pro/Max subs during peak hours. Your weekly limits remain unchanged”, said Thariq Shihipar, an engineer who works on Claude Code, in a post on X.

Unlike ChatGPT, which has a daily message limit, Claude operates in five-hour windows. Once you’ve hit your limit in a five-hour window, you have to use a less premium model, or wait for your ...