When using Claude models, you may occasionally see the following error message:
Claude has rejected your request with error code 429. Here are the possible reasons: 1. You are sending requests too quickly; 2. You have hit your maximum monthly spend (hard limit); 3. The model is currently overloaded. Here is the error message from Claude: This request would exceed your organization’s rate limit of x0,000 input tokens per minute. For details, refer to:https://docs.anthropic.com/en/api/rate-limits; see the response headers for current usage. Please reduce the prompt length or the maximum tokens requested, or try again later. You may also contact sales athttps://www.anthropic.com/contact-salesto discuss your options for a rate limit increase.
This error means your request cannot be processed because it would exceed the token-per-minute (TPM) limit imposed by Anthropic.
What the rate limit means
Every Claude model has strict limits on how many tokens you can send (and receive) per minute. These limits vary depending on your usage tier.
For example, you are using Claude 4 and encounter the error as follows:
bashHere is the error message from Claude: This request would exceed your organization’s rate limit of 30,000 input tokens per minute.
This means:
- Your organization’s current TPM limit for Claude 4 is 30,000 tokens per minute (TPM) - which means you are on Usage Tier 1
- The limit applies to the total size of your request, including previous messages and uploaded files in the same conversation.
For more information, see Anthropic’s documentation about rate limit:
Why you are seeing the error
A key point to understand is how Claude or other AI models calculates token usage via API.
When you send one request, the AI model does not only count the text you typed in your last message. Instead, the model receives the entire conversation context, including:
- All previous messages in the conversation
- System instructions
- Tool responses (if any)
- All uploaded files or document contents
This means the total token usage = sum of all the above.
As the conversation grows, every new request becomes heavier. If the total exceeds your organization’s TPM limit (e.g., 30,000 tokens per minute), the request will be rejected with error 429. Typical reasons include:
- The conversation has become too long: more history → more tokens → higher chance of hitting the limit.
- Large files were uploaded: files are converted into tokens and included in every subsequent request.
- Your organization is on a usage tier with lower TPM limits.
How to fix or avoid this error
Below are several practical approaches you can take:
1. Upgrade your Anthropic usage tier
Increasing your tier raises your TPM limit. You will need to top up more API credit for your account to upgrade usage tier at https://console.anthropic.com/settings/billing
2. Reduce token usage in your conversation
You can lower the size of your requests by:
- Deleting older messages in long conversations
- Clearing irrelevant context
- Removing uploaded files
- Breaking large tasks into smaller messages
Keeping the conversation lean ensures you stay within the TPM limit.
3. Try using the model through OpenRouter
If you need the same model but with different rate limits, OpenRouter may provide more flexible usage depending on the provider’s settings.
Learn how to set up models via OpenRouter
4. Switch to another AI Model
If you need to continue working immediately, switching to a different model (OpenAI, Google, Mistral, etc.) helps avoid downtime.
Still Need Help?
If you continue experiencing issues, feel free to reach us at support@typingmind.com anytime—we’re here to help!