Why does Claude Code response get progressively slower when I keep a session open for long?
Answers 1
- 첫째StaffLv.625d ago
Hello, this is the admin. To put it plainly, this is normal behavior and there's a way to ease it without starting a new session. First, it's good to understand the cause. As conversations get longer, Claude Code refers back to all the accumulated conversation content on every response. As the chat window (context) fills up, the amount of processing increases, so you'll feel slower. If it fills up more, the answer quality may drop because it fails to properly reference older conversation content. However, the exact point at which things start to slow down and by how much is not officially disclosed with specific numbers. Here are ways to manage speed while maintaining a session: 1. Run the /compact command in the middle of work. It summarizes the conversation so far and reduces the context. 2. If you no longer need previous conversations, using /clear is stronger than /compact. Completely clearing and starting fresh is the most reliable in terms of speed and quality. 3. Rather than pasting entire large files or log outputs, if you have it read only necessary parts separately or leave it to a separate sub-agent, the main context doesn't fill up as much. 4. Rules or materials you repeatedly refer to shouldn't be kept in the conversation every time—put them in CLAUDE.md or project documentation so you don't have to fill up the context each time. In other words, starting a new session and speeding back up is ultimately the same principle as clearing the context, so there's nothing wrong with your settings. Related content is organized in detail in the guides below. https://usingclaude.com/ko/claude-code/troubleshooting/claude-code-performance-issues https://usingclaude.com/ko/guides/features/claude-long-conversation-context