Every session limit, already running.
Claude's session limit runs in 5-hour windows, and a window starts the first time an account is used, not when the last one ends. Shuriken sends an idle subscription one tiny background request so its window starts and its limit comes back sooner, and it never moves a chat to do it.
The problem
An idle account's session limit isn't counting down.
Claude's 5-hour window starts the first time an account is used, not when its last window ended. A second account that sits untouched all morning only starts its window when you finally switch to it, so its limit comes back hours later than it could have.
How Shuriken handles it
How it works
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A window resets.
An account's 5-hour window ends and its limit comes back. Its next window hasn't started yet.
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Idle is time lost.
Until something uses that account, its window doesn't start. The longer it waits, the later it resets.
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One tiny request starts it.
The computer the account is signed in on sends it one short request in the background, to the smallest model. Its window starts, and your chats stay where they are.
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Every limit keeps running.
Each account gets one request per window, right after it resets, so its next window is already counting down when you need it.
See the difference.
Three Claude accounts over one working day. Each bar is a 5-hour window; it starts the first time the account is used.
Without
Work's window only starts when Personal runs out, and Side project's later still: the last limit comes back at 19:00.
With session limits kept running
One tiny request each starts all three windows within minutes: every limit is back by 14:06, and the next windows start as soon as they reset.
Illustration. Real windows depend on how fast you use each account.
The details
On by default
It's a switch under Sources › Switch settings.
Subscriptions only
API keys have no session limit, so they're left alone.
Chats stay put
Starting a window never moves a chat. Switching follows only its own rules.
Your weekly limit counts
An account past its weekly switch point gets no request.
Good to know
- One tiny request, once per window, from one computer. It never shows in a chat or your history, and it counts toward that account's usage like any request.
- You'll find the switch under Sources › Switch settings, on until you turn it off.
Questions
Does Shuriken send a request to start a window?
Yes, one. When a subscription's 5-hour window isn't running, the computer it's signed in on sends it one tiny request in the background, to the smallest model, and the window starts. It never shows in a chat or your history, and it counts toward that account's usage like any request.
Does it move my chats to an idle account?
No. Starting a window never moves a chat. Your chats change account only when switching would move them anyway: at your switch point, or on Distribute's interval.
How often does it send one?
Once per window at most: right after a window resets, or when one has never started. If a request fails, it waits 10 minutes before trying again, then longer after each failure, up to 4 hours.
Does it work with API keys?
No. API keys have no session limit, so they're left alone. An account past its weekly switch point gets no request either.
Can I turn it off?
Yes. It's a switch under Sources › Switch settings, on by default. Off, an untouched account's window stays stopped until you use it.
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