THE VERDICT
● Claude Code — weekly limits settle 17 percent below current levels on 14 September. Chat and Cowork share the same pool.
● Codex — five-hour cap restored, and Free and Go still cannot buy credits when capped.
● Neither publishes token counts. You find the ceiling by hitting it.
What each limit actually is
| Claude Code | Codex |
|---|
| Windows | Rolling 5-hour and weekly | 5-hour, plus undocumented weekly |
| Change coming | 14 Sept — weekly down 17% on today | 5-hour cap already restored |
| Shared with other products | Yes — chat and Cowork draw the same pool | Metered separately |
| Buy more when capped | Usage credits at API rates | Plus yes. Free and Go no |
| Published in tokens | No — multipliers only | No — allowances with a weekly footnote |
THE SHARED POOL IS THE ASYMMETRY
On Claude Pro and Max, chat, Claude Code and Cowork all draw from one weekly allowance. A heavy Cowork week leaves less for coding.
Codex meters separately. That difference grows on 14 September, when the Claude pool tightens and everything competing for it competes harder.
What to do before the 14th
| If you are... | Do this |
|---|
| On Claude Pro or Max | Check Settings, Usage. Regularly above 83 percent means the new ceiling will bite |
| Using Cowork heavily too | Budget them together. One pool, three products |
| On Codex Free or Go | You stop when capped. Plus at $20 is the cheapest tier that can buy more |
| Considering an upgrade | Trim context and cap diff sizes first. That usually recovers more than 17 percent |
FAQ
What changes on 14 September?
Claude Code weekly limits settle at 25 percent above the pre-May baseline, which Anthropic itself describes as a 17 percent reduction against current levels.
Do Claude chat and Cowork use the same limit?
On Pro and Max, yes. All three draw from one weekly allowance.
Why does neither publish token counts?
Both use multipliers and allowances instead, since consumption varies with model, conversation length and tool use. The practical effect is that you discover your ceiling by reaching it.