Claude Code Can Wait for a Five-Hour Usage Limit Reset Without an Ultra Subscription
Without an Ultra subscription, Claude Code can be configured to wait for a five-hour usage limit reset and continue tasks automatically.
If you do not have an Ultra subscription, Claude Code can wait for the five-hour usage limit reset on its own and continue executing the task.
Before starting an overnight or unattended run, set the environment variable:
export CLAUDE_CODE_RETRY_WATCHDOG=1
The limit may reset earlier, for example if Anthropic manually resets usage restrictions.
The next variable makes Claude Code check limit availability every 10 minutes and resume the task immediately after the reset:
export CLAUDE_CODE_RETRY_WATCHDOG_USAGE_LIMIT_RECHECK_MS=600000
And the environment variable name speaks for itself.
Why it matters
AnalysisThis makes long-running autonomous Claude Code sessions easier to manage without a paid Ultra subscription, reducing the chance of tasks stopping because of usage limits.
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