Claude AI “Overloaded” Error — How to Fix It

What Does “Claude is Overloaded” Mean?

This error means Anthropic’s infrastructure is handling more traffic than it can serve. Your request was not processed — no tokens were consumed.

Fix 1: Wait and Retry

Wait 2–5 minutes and try again. Overload states are usually brief.

Fix 2: Start a New Conversation

Close the current conversation, navigate to claude.ai, and start a fresh chat.

Fix 3: Use the API with Retry Logic

On a 529 Overloaded response, implement exponential backoff: wait 1 second, then 2, then 4, up to 60 seconds max.

Fix 4: Switch Model Version

Try Claude Haiku instead of Sonnet or Opus — smaller models have shorter queues during peak periods.

Check Anthropic Status

Visit status.anthropic.com for active incidents and ETA.