claude keeps repeating itself

If Claude gets stuck in an infinite loop, repeating the same phrases, paragraphs, or blocks of code, it can quickly exhaust your usage limits. This issue occurs when the model's token selection weights become over-biased toward recently generated text, or when a prompt accidentally triggers a recursive loop in the model's reasoning pattern.

Whether you are using the web interface or building on the API, here is how to break the loop and restore normal behaviour.

Start a fresh conversation

The most common cause of repetitive loops in the consumer app is the context window. Once Claude outputs a repetitive pattern, it reads that repetition in its history and assumes it should continue the same pattern. Starting a completely new chat clears the short-term memory and forces the model to generate responses from scratch. If the interface refuses to load a new chat, you may be experiencing a broader service issue; check our guide on what to do when the Claude app wont load to resolve it.

Modify your prompt to forbid repetition

If you must continue working in the same chat thread, edit your previous prompt to break the loop. Directly instruct the model to avoid repeating itself. For example, append: "Do not repeat previous explanations, and do not reuse the same phrasing or code blocks from your previous turn." This forces Claude to recalculate its token probabilities.

Adjust API temperature and penalty parameters

If you are accessing Claude via the Anthropic API, repetitive outputs are often caused by suboptimal configuration.

• Increase Temperature: If your temperature is set to 0, the model will always choose the most highly probable token, which heavily increases the likelihood of repetitive loops. Raise the temperature to 0.5 or 0.7 to introduce more variance.
• System Prompts: Ensure your system prompts do not contain conflicting rules that might paralyse the model's decision-making process, causing it to default to repeating its last safe response.

Clear your browser cache and cookies

Sometimes, the repetition is not a model error but a local rendering glitch where the browser repeatedly loads the same cached response chunk. Clear your browser's application cache, or log out and log back in. If the web platform continues to glitch or fails to update entirely, you may want to verify if Claude is not responding due to a wider system issue.

Check for API connection timeout loops

If you are using streaming responses in the API, network interruptions can cause your integration to repeatedly resend the same prompt, making it look like Claude is stuck in a loop. Implement robust error handling to catch timeout issues before they trigger duplicate requests. During times of high traffic, checking the status of the server is essential, especially if you encounter an Anthropic API 529 overloaded error that disrupts active streams.