The bundled Claude API docs now describe a hard dollar spend cap that pauses a session idle.
What's wrong with this entry?
The bundled claude-api skill, the documentation Claude Code consults when you ask it to write code against the Claude API, now documents a session budget. It is set at create time only, in minor units and USD only, for example {"type": "limit", "max_list_cost": {"amount": "2500", "currency": "USD"}}. A session that reaches the cap pauses idle instead of terminating, and only resumes if the budget is raised or removed.
- A paused session accepts only settle events:
user.tool_confirmation,user.tool_result,user.custom_tool_result,user.interrupt. - Removing a budget is one-way; it cannot be added back to that session.
- Raising the cap must exceed what the session already spent, otherwise the API rejects it.
- Claude Code will generate and explain this shape whenever the skill is in use.
budget.max_list_cost must be greater than the session's consumed list cost
Strings lifted out of the shipped bundle, so the claim above can be checked against them.
Related
Other releases about the same thing. Found by shared names or similar wording; neither means one caused the other.