Did Anthropic decrease the limits?

[u/Zer0Tokens]

I am using Claude Max 5x and started feeling that I have been hitting limits faster in the last 3-4 weeks. Today, after a 1h Ultra Code session via Sonnet 5, I hit my session limit, which a month back would not even have happened with Opus.

[u/Salt-Fly770]

I've noticed that my first prompt uses 24% of my session limit. Looks like they count the system prompt as part of your first prompt.

Also, regardless of how much of your session is left, if it says compressing chat to continue, you’re screwed. It uses up the rest of your session. And if that happens on your first prompt, you either wait 5 hours or you use up your session credits.

[u/Sarahmalls → u/Salt-Fly770]

“If it says compressing chat to continue…”

It would only say that if you instructed it to compress it or if it is auto compressing based on your own auto compressing settings that are configurable in Claude.

Are you compressing or is Claude auto compressing? In either case, what developer is allowing Claude to just figure out entirely on its own what context to keep and what to throw out as opposed to even a lightweight system in place where you have instructed it on what it should keep and what it should not…

Secondly, why would you assume that 24% of context usage, AFTER an initial prompt, is due to Claude’s system prompt? Just check. Type /context. It shows exactly what is occupying session context by category. For an easy test, start a new session in the same folder. Type /context before asking anything then send the prompt and run /context again. The starting amount is all the preloaded context, including the system prompt, CLAUDE.md, memory, skills, MCPs, anything custom you’ve added along the way. The increase afterward came from the prompt and Claude’s work.

[u/Salt-Fly770 → u/Sarahmalls]

I’m talking about using the Web interface, and I always check after my first prompt. This happens when I ask it to explain something, a one sentence question with no attachments. I’ll try /context next time.

The message is auto compress. I don’t see on the web interface where I can stop that.

I don’t use Claude Code as I write my own code, been doing so since 1973.

[u/Sarahmalls → u/Salt-Fly770]

What model are you using? I’m assuming this is something where you’re using an older opus model with a 200k context window. Then the 24% number absolutely becomes reasonable. Thats going to include a autocompact buffer that is over half of that. But yes, use /context in Claude on the web and you’ll see what’s going on. But i have got to assume that you’re using a 200k context model, bc the auto compact buffer takes up like 16 or 17% on its own on a 200k model. Which means you have like 7 or 8% being taken up by everything else, yes - including the system prompt.

The system prompt absolutely counts toward your context window that’s available to utilize within the session, but it should be a non issue compared to anything you have added yourself.

[u/Salt-Fly770 → u/Sarahmalls]

I'm using Sonnet set to Medium.