TL;DR: git init in ~/.claude/, delete old log lines (skip line 1), restart Claude Code = infinite conversation

⚠️ Use at your own risk - always backup with git first

Found an interesting workaround when hitting Claude Code conversation limits. The session logs can be edited to continue conversations indefinitely.

The Discovery: Claude Code stores conversation history in log files. When you hit the conversation limit, you can actually delete the beginning of the log file and continue the conversation.

Steps:

1. Setup git backup (CRITICAL)

   cd ~/.claude/
   git init
   git add .
   git commit -m "backup before log manipulation"

2. Find your session ID

   • In Claude Code, type /session

   • Copy the session ID

3. Locate the session log

   cd ~/.claude/
   # Find your session file using the ID

4. Edit the session file

   • Open in VSCode (Cmd+P to quick open if on Mac)

   • IMPORTANT: Disable word wrap (Opt+Z for Mac) for clarity

   • DO NOT touch the first line

   • Delete lines from the beginning (after line 1) to free up space

5. Restart the conversation

   • Close Claude Code

   • Reopen Claude Code

   • Continue sending messages - the conversation continues!

Why this works: The conversation limit is based on the total size of the session log. By removing old messages from the beginning (keeping the header intact), you free up space for new messages.

Risks:

• Loss of context from deleted messages

• Potential data corruption if done incorrectly

• That's why git backup is ESSENTIAL

Pro tip: When context changes significantly, it's better to just start a new conversation. But if you're stuck and need to continue, this is your escape hatch.

Found this while debugging session issues. Use responsibly!

And also i tried different solution for it, but not good as expected for now @yemreak/claude-compact

Okay guys, hear me out 😅

You know that annoying moment when you're coding with Claude and BAM - "5 hour limit reached" right in the middle of debugging? Yeah, it sucks.

So I discovered the limit works on a rolling 5-hour window from your LAST message, not your first.

My hack:

• 3 hours before I need Claude, I start sending random msgs every hour

• Just quick stuff like "hey" or "give me a fun fact"

• Takes 30 seconds lol

Result: When I actually start working, I'm already at hour 4 of the limit, so I get hour 5 PLUS a fresh 5-hour window = way more uninterrupted coding time 🎯

Is it janky? Yes. Does it work? ABSOLUTELY.

Anyone else doing this or am I just being extra? 😂 Drop your limit hacks below!

I've been using Claude (I have the Pro Plan) for the past 7 days on a daily basis to help me build out a Python script.

The script kind of works, but I'm working to get out all of the bugs. I am not a programmer by the way, but I can follow simple, clear instructions.

Anyways, the biggest issue I've been having is I keep getting the "Message Limit Reached for Claude 3.5 Sonnet Until X Time" message.

My script is now about 1,100 lines. So I'll give it the script, I'll give it the latest output the script gave me (with the error I'm trying to fix), and a basic prompt to get the error resolved.

It will then give me the updated code it thinks will fix the issue.

If that updated code doesn't fix it, then I usually will do a few more prompts to try to get it to give me more possible fixes. Shortly after that, I end up having to start a new chat. Then I repeat this until I get that "message limit reached for X time" message which doesn't take long....

So are there any secrets to prolonging the ability to use Claude without getting that "message limit reached for X time" message?

Thanks so much in advance!

Hello is it possible to bypass chat limit? When im sending script with 5000 lines, he can only fix one time and thats all for one chat. I need to create separate and send code again and prompt.

The message limit is relatively simple - it resets in 5 hour blocks from your first prompt. If you log on at 2:15pm, you're in the 2pm block, so 5 hours after 2pm would be 7pm. So whenever you run into the limit, your message limits will reset at 7pm. Whether you use them all up in the first hour, or slowly use them over the course of 4 hours, it doesn't matter - your total limit will reset at the same time. This is why sometimes when you run out, it only takes 1 or 2 hours to reset, but if you use them very quickly, it could take 3 or 4 hours to reset.

I take advantage of this if I know I'm going to have a short time in the evening to work on a project. For example, if I plan to use Claude for a few hours after dinner (6-9pm, for example), I might log on earlier in the day, around 2pm, to "start the clock" by sending 1 prompt to both Sonnet and Opus (they have separate prompt limits but they each reset in 5h blocks). That way, when I begin the project at 6pm with a good momentum, I can run through all of my available prompts for both Sonnet and Opus in that first hour, knowing that my limits will be reset at 7pm and I can use that second 5h block's worth of prompts. I then have the option of staying up until midnight if I want to use another 5h block's worth of prompts.

This tip can essentially double the available prompts you have to use each day, if you usually only have one 5-hour block to work in consistently. Start the clock and control the reset to your advantage.

Claude has this 45 messages limit per 5 hours for pro subs as well. Is there any way to get around it?

Claude has 3 models and I have been mostly using sonet. From my initial observations, these limits apply for all the models at once.

I.e., if I exhaust limit with sonet, does that even restrict me from using opus and haiku ? Is there anyway to get around it?

I can also use API keys if there’s a really trusted integrator but help?

Update on documentation: From what I’ve seen till now this doesn’t give us very stood out notice about the limitations, they mentioned that there is a limit but there is a very vague mention of dynamic nature of limitations.

Edit (18 July, 2025):

Claude has tightened the limits of Claude Code silently, people are repeatedly facing this issue :: "Invalid model. Claude Pro users are not currently able to use Opus 4 in Claude Code" and also https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code/issues/3566

Make no mistake, I love claude to the core. I was probably in the mid-early adopters of Claude. I love the Artifact generation more than anything. But this limitations are really bad. Some power users are really happy on claude Max plan because they were able to get it to work precisely. I think this is more to do with Prompt engineering, and context engineering. I hope sooner or later, claude can really work like how ChatGPT is accessible now-a-days.

Edit ( 7 sept, 2025):

The fact that this post is still getting so much attention is a testament to Claude not listening to the users. I love Claude and Claude Code too much, and I am a fan of Anthropic adding new features. Unfortunately, this Claude code also hits the “Compacting conversation” too quick - for me atleast, and the limits are a little better honestly. But the cool down period is painful.

Basically what the title said, Id use multiple accounts but with the new phone verification logging in is a hassle. Is there no hope?

I switched from GPT-4 to now mostly using Claude 3, but the daily message limits are annoying. Also, I really like the ChatGPT interface better. Claude is missing a features like a button to STOP when it’s streaming a long response that is bad.

I use this project to get my own front-end for Claude 3. It uses the API so I have no daily limit to messages, and I get to use a chat interface that has all the features ChatGPT has. Even if you’re not very technical, it’s easy to set up. https://github.com/allyourbot/hostedgpt

It supports both GPT-4 and Claude 3 so it lets you do really cool things like you’re having a conversation with one of them and you don’t like it’s response, you click the “re-generate” button and you can switch assistants mid-conversation. This animated gif demonstrates. The other day I asked it a technical question and switched assistants and finally got the right answer! https://p425.p0.n0.cdn.zight.com/items/ApuPWXb6/c413f8dc-519f-4f5f-b250-45a7688b99d1.gif

It’s also really nice to have access to both GPT-4 and Claude 3 without committing to $20 per month to either. I just get charged for what I use. For example, OpenAI released a new version of the GPT-4 model last week I’ve been going back to it to see how much they improved it. (I don’t have a well-formed opinion yet).

Tired of running into Claude.ai's daily limits? Try using Colada for Claude.

I actually enjoy Claude.ai's interface and artifacts implementation. I didn't want to lift and shift over to another LLM tool. So, to get past the daily limits, I decided to build a simple Chrome extension which continues conversations using your own Anthropic API key.

In short:

• Get past Claude.ai conversation limits (click on pineapple emoji the to activate Colada)
• Bring your own Anthropic API key (requests made directly from your machine)
• Preserve conversation context (scraped from the DOM)
• Simple, lightweight implementation (everything stored locally)

It's a $4.99 one-time purchase- just use "REDDIT" at checkout.

Let me know what you think. Open to any and all feedback.

Chrome Extension URL: https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/colada-for-claude/pfgmdmgnpdgbifhbhcjjaihddhnepppj

I'm a little bit fed up about this msg limit after paying for pro. It writes perfect scripts, but I need a better alternative if this keeps up. Any suggestions?

First of all, I want to be clear here that I'm not claiming limits don't exist. I was getting bitten by them constantly back in the October timeframe. I think they've gotten better since then but I've also changed my workflow a lot and I wanted to share with everyone what my workflow is in hopes that it can help some people who are struggling.

I'm a software developer and I spend basically all day every day in a chat with Claude using their Mac desktop interface as I do my work. Help in code generation and debugging mostly, but also thinking through designs and the like. I can't remember the last time I got limited by Claude (though when it does happen for whatever it's worth it tends to be late in the workday Pacific Time).

1. I only work in text files. I think a lot of the issues people are having come from working directly in PDFs. If you need to do that, these techniques may not help you much.

2. I don't use projects. I only attach exactly the files that will be needed for the task at hand.

3. Work hard to keep context short! I started doing this not because of limits but because I felt the quality dropped off as the context lengthened. But it had to side effects of keeping me away from the limits. This makes sense if you think about it. I have no idea what the actual token limit is, but let's say it's 1M tokens in 3 hours. If you've got one long-running chat with 100k tokens in it, than gives you 10 exchanges. But if you can make that have 10k tokens, you've got 100, and if you can cut it back to 1k tokens you've got 1000.

4. Start over frequently! I limit myself generally to a single task. Writing a function. Debugging a particular error. As soon as the task is done, I start a new chat. I'll frequently have scores of individual chats in any given day.

5. Don't ever correct Claude! Don't say "no, don't do it that way." Instead, edit your original prompt. Add "Don't do it this way" to the prompt and regenerate. I've had to regenerate two or three times to get what I want. By doing this, you keep the context short, and long-context exchanges are how you eat up your token limit.

Anyway, hope this helps someone. If you've got other tips, I'd love to hear about them!

I'd be interested in hearing from this community their solutions for circumventing the chat limits imposed by Claude. I have two pro accounts but frequently my coding projects get pretty involved. Occasionally I hit the hard limit on both accounts. I do my best to limit individual chat sessions, but that doesn't always work.
I'm using the desk top and browser interfaces, btw.
Thanks!

I just switched to Claude from ChatGPT for a few weeks, and what I realize is that 60% of the time, Claude limited me to just 10-15 messages for one session... before refreshing until the next 5 hours. This is incredibly frustrating, seems like I paid $20 for another free version.

Is this normal?

Or am I just spoiled my ChatGPT seemingly unlimited messages?

I find myself reaching that cursed "Message limit reached for Claude 3 Opus" too often, and it's really frustrating because I've found Claude quite pleasant to interact and work with. I'm wondering, can't Anthropic at least provide the option to pay extra when needing to go over quota, rather than just being forced to stop in the middle of a productive conversation? Kind of like what phone companies do when you need more data than the package you've paid for allows...

I had a passing idea that maybe taking a screenshots of all the previous context might circumvent the length limitations? Take a single long connected screenshot and start a new chat. 😂 Idk if this would work but I will try it.

I’m making excellent progress using Claude for iterating and drafting and coding too; but I keep hitting the redline and have to start all over again in a new chat (albeit faster as I can share the input data in a new chat pretty fast). I’ve just upgraded to Max which costs mad money because I thought that’d solve… but it hasn’t. Can somebody help me here? Message limit? Do they clear? Does Max subs help at all? Thanking y’all.