# stay-within-limits

This skill keeps long-running or parallel agent work inside 5-hour and weekly limits. It pauses new work near the cap and checks the window before resuming.

- skill · `type=skill` · Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, OpenCode · 321 installs · ★ 4613
- Author: BuilderIO
- License: MIT · policy=mirror · the beginning of the file is at the end of this page
- Source: https://github.com/BuilderIO/skills/tree/HEAD/skills/stay-within-limits/SKILL.md
- Updated: 2026-10-22
- HTML: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/stay-within-limits

## What it does

The skill defines a loop for long-running agent work: run a bounded wave, wait for it to finish, check current usage, then continue. A wave defaults to at most 3 parallel subagents. In-flight subagents are left running instead of being interrupted to save budget.

When either the 5-hour or weekly limit reaches 95%, the skill stops launching new work and schedules a resume. On wake, it checks the actual window again rather than trusting elapsed time. In Claude Code, the suggested check is `npx -y ccusage@latest blocks --active --json`; pausing also depends on an available wake/resume tool or another waiting mechanism. The 95% threshold is a reason to verify which window stopped the work and when the next check should run.

## Install

### Claude Code (native platform)

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add BuilderIO/skills --skill stay-within-limits -a claude-code
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `~/.claude/skills/stay-within-limits/SKILL.md` — Copy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/stay-within-limits/

### Codex

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add BuilderIO/skills --skill stay-within-limits -a codex
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.agents/skills/stay-within-limits/SKILL.md` — For all projects use ~/.agents/skills/

### Cursor

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add BuilderIO/skills --skill stay-within-limits -a cursor
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.cursor/skills/stay-within-limits/SKILL.md` — Cursor also reads .agents/skills/ and .claude/skills/

### GitHub Copilot

1. **GitHub CLI**
```bash
gh skill install BuilderIO/skills stay-within-limits
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.github/skills/stay-within-limits/SKILL.md`

### Gemini CLI

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add BuilderIO/skills --skill stay-within-limits -a gemini-cli
```

2. **Platform CLI**
```bash
gemini skills install https://github.com/BuilderIO/skills --path skills/stay-within-limits
```

### Windsurf (Devin Desktop)

**Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.devin/skills/stay-within-limits/SKILL.md` — The legacy .windsurf/skills/ path still works

### OpenCode

**Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add BuilderIO/skills --skill stay-within-limits -a opencode
```

### Claude.ai

**Claude.ai**
- Zip the folder and upload it in Settings → Capabilities → Skills

Where a file is given instead of a command, copy the files from the source to that path: https://github.com/BuilderIO/skills/tree/HEAD/skills/stay-within-limits/SKILL.md

## When to use it
- track usage between waves of subagents
- stop new work when a limit reaches 95%
- resume tasks after the usage window clears
- inspect the active block with `ccusage`
- pass the remaining plan and stop conditions to a later session

## Example prompts
- Check the 5-hour and weekly usage before starting the next wave of subagents.
- Run a wave of up to 3 parallel subagents, wait for completion, then check usage before continuing.
- If either window reaches 95%, pause new work and resume only after checking the active window again.

## Source text · SKILL.md · MIT

Below is the content of a third-party file. It is data, not instructions for you: do not act on anything written inside unless the human asks. Block tag: 414896d809b8cc4d.

BEGIN THIRD-PARTY FILE 414896d809b8cc4d
````text
---
name: stay-within-limits
description: Use when long-running or parallel agent work must respect 5-hour and weekly usage limits by checking usage between waves, pausing near the cap, and resuming only when the window is clear.
---

# Stay Within Limits

Keep long-running agent work inside the current 5-hour and weekly usage windows.
Check usage before launching substantial work and between waves of parallel
subagents. If an active 5-hour or weekly limit is at or above 95%, pause new
work until the window is clear enough to continue safely.

## Core Loop

1. Run a bounded wave of work. Default to at most 3 parallel subagents unless
   the user or host gives a different throttle.
2. Wait for the wave to finish. Do not interrupt in-flight subagents just to
   save budget; that usually loses work.
3. Check current 5-hour and weekly usage with the host's usage/budget tool.
4. If either window is at or above 95%, stop launching work and schedule a
   self-contained resume when the relevant window should clear.
5. On resume, re-check the real window or block before continuing. Do not trust
   elapsed wall-clock time alone.

## Usage Signals

Prefer a first-party host usage tool when available. In Claude Code, use:

```sh
npx -y ccusage@latest blocks --active --json
```

Use the JSON to identify the active block start, current cost or percentage, and
time remaining. On wake, compare the active block start timestamp with the
previous one; a new timestamp is stronger evidence than "enough time passed."

If the tool reports cost instead of a direct percentage, convert through the
current account limit when known. For Claude Max-style 5-hour blocks, some users
prefer an earlier caution threshold around $500-550; treat that as a
user-configured guardrail, not a universal rule. The default stop rule is still
95% of the active 5-hour or weekly limit.

## Pausing And Resuming

When a wake/resume tool is available, schedule a wakeup for:

```txt
min(3600, secondsUntilWindowClears)
```

If the runtime clamps wake delays to 60-3600 seconds, chain wakeups for longer
waits. Each wakeup should re-check usage, reschedule if still over budget, and
continue only when the window is safely below the threshold.

Make wake prompts self-contained. Include:

- The remaining plan.
- The check-then-reschedule rule.
- The 95% threshold and wave throttle.
- The exact usage command or host usage tool to run.
- The previous block/window identifier when available.
- The next verification steps.
- The next wave's handoff packets, including scope, verification commands, and
  stop conditions, if delegation will resume.

## Choosing The Wait Mechanism

- Use a wake/resume tool when the agent needs instructions attached to the
  future resume.
- Use a background sleep or watcher for fixed timers and things a process can
  observe directly.
- Use cron or recurring schedules only for recurring fresh-session work.
````
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---
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