Stop Reopening Old Claude Chats: The New-Chat Move That Saves Your Limit
Coming back to yesterday's long Claude chat makes Claude re-read the whole thing, and one message can eat a big share of your 5-hour limit. Why it happens, the warning Claude Code now shows, and the two-line habit that keeps your limit
Claude keeps a short-lived shortcut (a prompt cache) for the chat you're in. Step away for about an hour and it runs out, so the next message in that old chat makes Claude read the whole conversation again from the start. In a long chat that one message can use a noticeable share of your 5-hour usage limit.
Here's what the new warning says, what to do instead, a prompt to carry the old chat over, and the catches.
What changed
- Claude Code 2.1.304 added a warning on Pro and Max plans when resuming an inactive conversation would use a noticeable share of your 5-hour usage limit.
- It gives you two choices: resume anyway, or start a new conversation.
- In a new conversation, Claude can look up the previous one if you refer to it, so you don't lose what you did.
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Get the full setup steps + the copy-paste setup prompt
The rest of this guide (3 more sections, 1 copy-paste prompt) opens right here. The setup prompt, one paste into Claude that sets it all up, comes by email only. Use your real address.
Unlocks: The habit · The catch · Sources
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