Claude Code usage limit reached? Keep working on a local model¶

You're in the middle of something and Claude Code stops with one of these:

"5-hour limit reached - resets [time]"
"You've reached your weekly limit. It resets [day] at [time]."
a rate limit error, or "credit balance is too low" on an API key

You ran out of Claude usage, not out of work. Claude Code can talk to any server that speaks Anthropic's Messages API, and this project runs one on your own machine with an open model behind it. Same Claude Code, same project, no API key, no usage limit.

Switch to local in three steps¶

Install it once. Mac or Linux:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nicedreamzapp/claude-code-local/main/install.sh | bash

Windows (PowerShell):

irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nicedreamzapp/claude-code-local/main/install.ps1 | iex

Setup looks at your memory and graphics hardware and picks a model that fits.

Switch. On a Mac, type exit in Claude Code, then keep going. You get a short menu and the same conversation carries on with the model you pick. Or start a fresh session: double-click Claude Local on your Desktop (Mac or Windows), or run claude-local on Linux.
Switch back when the limit resets. The install never changes plain claude, so it still uses your Claude plan.

Make it happen by itself¶

On a Mac you can add one Claude Code hook. The moment you hit your usage limit, a new window opens in the same folder and carries on with a free cloud model or a model on your Mac, no menu. Setup and honest limits are in Automatic keep going.

Running background claude -p scripts? claude-failover is a one-command switch that sends them to a local model until you flip it back.

Questions people ask¶

When does the Claude Code usage limit reset?¶

The message shows the time. Run /usage inside Claude Code to see each limit and its reset time. Plans have a 5-hour session limit and a separate weekly limit, so the weekly one can mean days.

Do I need an API key or more credits for the local model?¶

No. The launchers send sk-local as the key and the server never checks it. You only need the Claude Code CLI, which is free to install.

What happens if Claude is down?¶

The model runs on your machine, so an Anthropic outage doesn't stop it. Claude Code itself still makes some background calls to Anthropic at startup unless you switch them off; the Quickstart lists the environment variables. Check status.claude.com to see whether it's an outage.

Is a local model as good as Claude?¶

No. Big models on a 64 GB or 96 GB Mac handle real multi-step work. Small ones on an 8 or 16 GB machine do best with one clear step at a time (see Small Macs). It keeps you moving until your limit resets.

Does my code leave my computer?¶

With a local model, no: the server only listens on 127.0.0.1. The one exception is picking a free cloud model in keep going, which sends that conversation to OpenRouter.