Cap Claude Code extra usage per session, per day or per week
One long Fable 5 session can outcost a $200 plan. Anthropic's native control is a single monthly cap. tokenkarma blocks the spend at your number, in the window you choose.
Anthropic native vs tokenkarma, control by control
| Spend control | Anthropic native | tokenkarma |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cap | Yes | Yes |
| Weekly cap | No | Yes |
| Daily cap | No | Yes |
| Per-session cap | No | Yes |
| At the limit | Fable 5 access stops mid-session, no automatic fallback | The prompt is blocked before it spends; resend it to pass |
| Where it acts | Account-wide credit balance | Claude Code, only while you are in extra usage |
Blocked before it spends. Resend the same prompt to pass anyway. You stay in charge.
Anthropic controls as documented in Anthropic’s own support articles on extra usage and spending limits, verified July 2026.
One command per window
Every cap is a command in Claude Code, answered locally by the
guard: zero tokens, instant. /tokenkarma 20 caps
the current session at $20, counted from now.
/tokenkarma day 40, week 150 and
month 400 set the global windows.
/tokenkarma limit off lifts everything: you are
always one command from off.
Claude Code ┌─ 🛡 tokenkarma ───────────────────────────────
│ 🔴 EXTRA USAGE — limits armed
│ /tokenkarma session|day|week <usd>
│
│ Session $0.38 / $20.00
│ █░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 2%
│ Day no limit
│ Week no limit
│ Extra usage this month 178.26 / 500.00 EUR
│ ███████████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 36%
│
│ ⛔ 1 block today
└─ ⚡ /tokenkarma 20 · /tokenkarma menu ─────────At the limit, the prompt is blocked before it spends. The block message says "Re-send the same prompt to continue": send it again within 5 minutes and it passes, because repeating yourself is explicit consent. Hard enough to stop accidents, soft enough to never block a deliberate decision.
The honest scope
The caps apply to Claude Code, through the guard the tokenkarma Mac app installs, opt-in, when you connect Claude Code. They are enforced only while your account is in extra usage: usage included in your plan is never counted against a cap and never blocked. We do not claim to block spend on other Claude surfaces.
The guard counts your spend locally, on your machine, from your own transcripts. The counting rules, rounding and edge cases are documented in the guard methodology.
Seeing is free. Capping is Expert.
Every plan sees the protection panel, the live extra-usage burn and the per-session costs. The caps themselves are an Expert feature; on Free and Hobbyist they show as locked. See pricing, served live.
Frequently asked questions
Can I limit Claude Code extra usage per session?
Not with Anthropic’s native controls: they offer one monthly spending cap, account-wide. With tokenkarma, yes: /tokenkarma 20 caps the current Claude Code session at $20 of extra usage, counted from now, and blocks the prompt that would cross it before it spends.
What windows can I cap?
Session, day, week and month. The session cap applies to the current session only; day, week and month are global across your Claude Code work. Any cap is one command to set and one command to lift.
What exactly happens at the limit?
The next prompt is blocked before it spends, with the message "Re-send the same prompt to continue". Resending the same prompt within 5 minutes is treated as explicit consent and goes through, with a 30-minute grace window after it. Walk away instead and the avoided spend is measured and credited.
Does it ever touch my in-plan usage?
No. The caps are enforced only while your account is in extra usage. Usage included in your Claude plan is never counted against a cap and never blocked.
Which surfaces do the caps cover?
Claude Code, through the guard the tokenkarma Mac app installs opt-in. The live extra-usage tracking covers your Claude account more broadly, but we only claim blocking where it actually blocks: Claude Code.
The spend control Anthropic does not ship
Per session, per day, per week: pick the window, set the number, and the Claude Code prompt that would cross it is blocked before it spends.
Works in your browser and on your Mac.
Not affiliated with Anthropic. Native control comparison verified against Anthropic's support documentation in July 2026 and can change. Caps apply to Claude Code via the guard, a Mac app opt-in.