How to Disable Claude Code's 1M Context Window to Reduce Token Usage

Claude Code users can disable the 1M context window feature that may be increasing token usage beyond expectations. According to a Reddit discussion, Anthropic's recent usage limit tightening has led to faster quota consumption, with the company pointing to the 1M context window as a contributing factor.

Configuration Options

The source provides two methods to control context window behavior:

Option 1: Disable 1M Context Completely

Add this to your ~/.claude/settings.json file:

{
  "env": {
    "CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_1M_CONTEXT": "1"
  }
}

This removes the 1M model variants from the model picker entirely. The configuration is officially documented in Claude Code docs under "Model configuration → Extended context."

Option 2: Cap Your Context Window

For more flexibility, you can cap the auto-compact window instead:

{
  "env": {
    "CLAUDE_CODE_AUTO_COMPACT_WINDOW": "200000"
  }
}

Anthropic recommends this approach in their recent investigation post. The example value of 200,000 tokens provides a specific cap while maintaining some extended context capability.

The Reddit post notes that these are temporary solutions and expresses skepticism about whether the 1M context window is the complete explanation for increased token usage. Users experiencing unexpected quota consumption may want to test these configurations to see if they make a difference in their specific workflows.