You'll noticeTier: how much it should matter to you
3Useful: my rating, 1 to 5
2Signal: worth watching, 1 to 5
Usage CreditsArea: what it touches
ImprovementsKind: in v2.1.248,
ImprovementsSection of the release
What
The "Fast mode requires usage credits" notice used to always tell you to run /usage-credits. It now checks whether that screen is actually reachable for your account and shows the plain message without the pointer when it is not, so users who cannot open the credits screen are no longer sent there.
Details
Two hardcoded copies of the message were replaced by a single helper that picks the variant.
The check is internal to the build; there is no flag or environment variable that selects the wording.
Evidence
Fast mode requires usage credits
Strings lifted out of the shipped bundle, so the claim above can be checked against them.
The entry above is what we published on the day. These lines were added later, as Anthropic's own pages caught up, and they sit beside the original rather than replacing it.
Confirmed sinceAnthropic's documentation has since written up /usage-credits, on Error reference.* On Pro and Max, increase your monthly spend limit in [**Settings > Usage**](https://claude.ai/settings/usage) on claude.ai, or run `/usage-credits`errorssee the edit
How sure we are
Two sources agreeTwo things we can check say the same as this entry.
Anthropic's documentation agreesAnthropic's documentation has since written up /usage-credits, on Error reference.
Anthropic's release notes agreeAdded /usage-credits for Enterprise organizations billed through AWS Marketplace, self-serve Enterprise, and Enterprise trials, so members…
