Claude Code Error Messages: Exact Text, Where the Cause Sits, and the Fix

Also covered in this guide

• Could not refresh your login because another Claude Code process is refreshing it (or exited mid-refresh)Copy
  • Cause: your machine or config
  • CLI
• EPERM: operation not permitted, mkdirCopy
  • Cause: your machine or config
  • Issue #91708

Claude Code's login isn't rejected: another process holds the refresh lock in ~/.claude. Retry in a minute; if nothing holds it, remove the empty lock folder.

Also covered in this guide

• Your account is on hold and can't use Claude Code. View details or appeal: https://claude.ai/restrictedCopy
  • Cause: account or plan
  • CLI
• Replies from Claude are unavailable on your account. You can complete the verification now in the Anthropic Verification PortalCopy
  • Cause: account or plan
  • Web
• Complete verification to continueCopy
  • Cause: account or plan
  • Desktop app

It's an Anthropic identity check, not a bug; retries won't clear it. Verify at portal.anthropic.com if you're in a supported country with a physical photo ID.

Also covered in this guide

• You've reached your Fable limit.Copy
  • Cause: account or plan
  • CLI
• Fable 5.2's safeguards flagged this messageCopy
  • Cause: the service
  • CLI
  • Issue #109211
• Claude Code doesn't recognize the model "claude-fable-5-2", so it assumes a context window of 200k tokensCopy
  • Cause: your machine or config
  • CLI
  • Desktop app
  • Issue #108785
• Fable is experiencing high load, please use /model to switch to SonnetCopy
  • Cause: the service
  • CLI
• Invalid signature in thinking block. The block is bound to a different conversation.Copy
  • Cause: your machine or config
  • API
  • HTTP 400

Fable 5.2 errors trace to Claude Code older than 2.1.321, the dotted ID claude-fable-5.2, a /model picker bug, Fable limits, safeguards or API 400s.

Also covered in this guide

• You've hit your session limit · resets 3:45pmCopy
  • Cause: account or plan
  • CLI
• You've hit your weekly limit · resets Mon 12:00amCopy
  • Cause: account or plan
  • CLI
• API Error: Server is temporarily limiting requests (not your usage limit)Copy
  • Cause: the service
  • CLI
• API Error: Request rejected (429) · this may be a temporary capacity issueCopy
  • Cause: account or plan
  • CLI
  • HTTP 429
• API Error: Usage credits required for 1M contextCopy
  • Cause: account or plan
  • CLI

"Rate limit reached" in Claude Code is usually a session, weekly, or Opus/Sonnet limit. Match the line, then resume in the same session without resending.

Also covered in this guide

• Opus is experiencing high load, please use /model to switch to SonnetCopy
  • Cause: the service
  • CLI
• Opus is experiencing high load. Switch to Sonnet.Copy
  • Cause: the service
  • Desktop app
• API Error: Server error mid-response. The response above may be incomplete.Copy
  • Cause: the service
  • CLI

Claude Code shows a 529 overload only after retrying up to 10 times, and it never counts against your quota. Switch models with /model or set a fallback chain.

Also covered in this guide

• API Error: Connection lost mid-response. The response above may be incomplete.Copy
  • Cause: several possible
  • CLI
  • Since 2.1.227
  • Issue #103058
  • Issue #84404
• API Error: The response stopped arriving.Copy
  • Cause: several possible
  • CLI
  • Since 2.1.227
  • Issue #69336
• Your computer went to sleep mid-responseCopy
  • Cause: your machine or config
  • Issue #102780

Claude Code renamed this error Connection lost mid-response in v2.1.227. Completed blocks are kept: check what ran, reply continue, then trace the cause.

Also covered in this guide

• App unavailable in regionCopy
  • Cause: several possible
• No available accountsCopy
  • Cause: gateway or relay
  • HTTP 503
• No available channel for model X under group YCopy
  • Cause: gateway or relay
  • HTTP 503
  • Issue #6915
• API Error: 503 Bedrock is unable to process your requestCopy
  • Cause: the service
  • CLI
  • VS Code
  • HTTP 503
  • Issue #67080
  • Issue #38134
  • Issue #74514

A 403, 503, or 529 in Claude Code can come from your proxy, your account, Anthropic's or Amazon Bedrock's capacity, or a gateway in between. Run /status first.

Also covered in this guide

• OAuth error: Request failed with status code 500Copy
  • Cause: several possible
  • CLI
  • HTTP 500
  • Issue #33226
  • Issue #44271
  • Issue #44725
• API Error: 500 status code (no body)Copy
  • Cause: your machine or config
  • HTTP 500
  • Issue #58827
  • Issue #70650
• No conversation found with session IDCopy
  • Cause: your machine or config

Claude Code API Error 500 is a server-side failure, not your prompt or account. Check status, then retry, sign in again, or resume after checking finished work.

Also covered in this guide

• ECONNREFUSEDCopy
  • Cause: your machine or config
  • CLI
• ECONNRESETCopy
  • Cause: several possible
  • CLI
• ETIMEDOUTCopy
  • Cause: your machine or config
  • CLI
• fetch failedCopy
  • Cause: your machine or config
  • CLI

Run one reachability check from the shell that launched Claude Code, then fix the route indicated by the result instead of reinstalling or rotating keys blindly.

If Claude Code shows `Stream idle timeout - partial response received`, the fastest safe fix is to confirm the surface and version first, then choose the smallest correct branch-specific move and verify it on the same route.

Also covered in this guide

• Only 'enabled' and 'disabled' are supported for thinking; 'adaptive' is not supported.Copy
  • Cause: gateway or relay
  • Issue #1173
• 'type' must be in ["enabled", "disabled", "auto"]Copy
  • Cause: gateway or relay
• adaptive thinking is not supported on this modelCopy
  • Cause: gateway or relay
  • Issue #31030
• "thinking.type.enabled" is not supported for this model. Use "thinking.type.adaptive"Copy
  • Cause: your machine or config
  • HTTP 400

Your endpoint rejects the adaptive thinking type Claude Code sends. Set CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_THINKING=1; the adaptive switch won't help GLM or DeepSeek IDs.

For an Opus 4.7 `top_p deprecated` error, omit sampling fields from the final request your client sends. Native Messages and Bedrock Converse put those fields in different places; keep the same model and task when checking the fix.

Also covered in this guide

• command 'claude-vscode.terminal.open' not foundCopy
  • Cause: several possible
  • VS Code
  • Issue #28404
  • Issue #57459
• The argument 'filename' must be a file URLCopy
  • Cause: the service
  • VS Code
  • Issue #28112
  • Issue #56501
• V is not iterableCopy
  • Cause: your machine or config
  • VS Code
  • Issue #41383
  • Issue #43153
• TypeError: Invalid value for envCopy
  • Cause: your machine or config
  • VS Code
  • Issue #78139
• command 'claude-vscode.editor.open' not foundCopy
  • Cause: several possible
  • VS Code
  • Issue #28404

Claude Code not working in VS Code with command 'claude-vscode.editor.openLast' not found? The extension failed to start: update it and fully restart VS Code.

Also covered in this guide

• Git is required but was not foundCopy
  • Cause: your machine or config
  • Desktop app
• Git is installed but isn't workingCopy
  • Cause: your machine or config
  • Desktop app
• Git LFS is required by this repository but is not installedCopy
  • Cause: your machine or config
  • Desktop app

Windows builds of the Claude app before 1.49585.0 wanted Git for every local session, so update first. On current builds only Worktree sessions need Git.

Also covered in this guide

• Error: claude native binary not installed.Copy
  • Cause: your machine or config
  • CLI
  • Since 2.1.113
• npm error code ENOTEMPTYCopy
  • Cause: your machine or config
  • CLI
  • Issue #7193

Only Claude Code npm builds 2.0.25 and older can throw this error, so the claude your shell runs is an old copy. Find it, replace or remove it, then verify.

Use a branch board to separate status, auth, Windows PATH, IDE subprocess, environment variables, session state, update regressions, hooks, and escalation for Claude Code exit code 1.

Also covered in this guide

• Conversation too long. Press esc twice to go up a few messages and try again.Copy
  • Cause: your machine or config
  • CLI
  • Desktop app
  • Issue #7530
• Prompt is too long · automatic compaction failed:Copy
  • Cause: several possible
  • CLI
  • Desktop app
• Autocompact is thrashing: the context refilled to the limit within 3 turns of the previous compact, 3 times in a row.Copy
  • Cause: your machine or config
  • CLI
  • Desktop app
  • Since 2.1.89
• Compaction failed · attached media exceeds size limitsCopy
  • Cause: your machine or config
  • CLI
  • Desktop app
• Compaction failed · conversation could not be reduced below the context limitCopy
  • Cause: your machine or config
  • CLI
  • Desktop app

The red notification only means compaction threw an error. The line shown with it names the cause, and each cause has its own recovery in Claude Code 2.1.301.

Also covered in this guide

• File has been modified since read, either by the user or by a linter. Read it again before attempting to write it.Copy
  • Cause: your machine or config
  • Desktop app
  • Issue #10498
  • Issue #10245
• EPERM: operation not permittedCopy
  • Cause: your machine or config
• InputValidationError: Write failed due to the following issues: The required parameter `file_path` is missingCopy
  • Cause: several possible
  • Issue #895
• Error editing fileCopy
  • Cause: your machine or config
  • Issue #8750
  • Issue #63838

Claude Code's Error writing file is a label. Ctrl+O shows the real message: a changed file, a read-only folder, a cut-off tool call, or a false alarm.