our-claude-skills/custom-skills/00-our-settings-audit/desktop/references/our-settings-audit.md

Claude Settings Audit Guide

Purpose: Condensed reference for Claude.ai Projects Source: 00-claude-settings-audit skill Version: 1.0

Comprehensive reference for diagnosing Claude Desktop errors and optimizing context usage.

Error Quick Reference

Error Type	Message Pattern	Category
Context too large	"Exceed response limit"	Input
Output interrupted	"Response could not be fully generated"	Output
Length exceeded	"Message will exceed the length limit"	Input
Conversation limit	"Conversation reached maximum length"	Input
File too large	"Files larger than 10mb"	File
Rate limited	"5-hour limit reached"	Usage
Server overload	"Unexpected capacity constraints"	Server
MCP failure	"Error connecting to [ServerName]"	MCP
Account issue	"Account has been disabled"	Account

Quick Diagnosis Tree

Error occurred?
│
├─ BEFORE response started?
│   ├─ "Exceed response limit" → Reduce input context
│   ├─ "Length limit" → Break into smaller messages
│   ├─ "File too large" → Reduce file size or excerpt
│   ├─ "Capacity constraints" → Wait and retry
│   └─ "MCP error" → Check MCP configuration
│
├─ DURING response?
│   ├─ "Could not be fully generated" → Request smaller output
│   └─ Output suddenly stopped → Retry or chunk request
│
└─ BEFORE even sending?
    ├─ "5-hour limit reached" → Wait for reset
    ├─ "Messages left" → Near usage limit
    └─ "Account disabled" → Contact support

---

Token Limits by Model

Model	Context Window	Output Limit	Practical Available
Claude 3.5 Sonnet	200K tokens	~8K tokens	~150K after system
Claude 3 Opus	200K tokens	~4K tokens	~150K after system
Claude 3 Haiku	200K tokens	~4K tokens	~160K after system

---

ERROR CATEGORIES

1. Input/Context Errors

"Exceed response limit"

Causes:

• Loaded context too large (MCP tools + skills + files)
• Conversation history accumulated
• Multiple large files attached

Solutions:

1. Reduce MCP servers (max 5 recommended)
2. Add serverInstructions to all MCP servers
3. Start fresh conversation
4. Attach file excerpts instead of full files

"Message will exceed the length limit"

Solutions:

1. Break content into smaller chunks
2. Summarize key sections before sending
3. Start a new conversation

"Conversation reached maximum length"

Solutions:

1. Start a new conversation
2. Copy essential context to new chat

---

2. Output Errors

"Response could not be fully generated"

Causes:

• Output exceeded ~4K-8K token limit
• Safety filter triggered
• Network interruption
• Server timeout

Solutions:

1. Request smaller chunks of output
2. Add constraints: "In under 500 words..."
3. Be more specific in scope
4. Retry once before rephrasing

Prompting techniques:

• "Provide a concise summary..."
• "List the top 10..."
• "First, outline the structure"
• "Use bullet points, not paragraphs"

---

3. File Errors

"Files larger than 10MB"

Solutions:

1. Compress file if possible
2. Split into smaller files
3. Extract text content only

"Message is X% over the length limit"

Solutions:

1. Extract relevant excerpts only
2. Summarize large documents
3. Split across multiple messages

---

4. Usage Limit Errors

"5-hour limit reached"

Solutions:

1. Wait until reset time shown
2. Upgrade plan for higher limits
3. Optimize prompts to use fewer tokens

"X messages left until [time]"

Solutions:

1. Combine multiple questions into one
2. Wait for reset
3. Consider paid plan

---

5. Server/Capacity Errors

"Unexpected capacity constraints"

Solutions:

1. Wait 2-5 minutes and retry
2. Try during off-peak hours
3. Check status.claude.com for incidents

HTTP Error Codes

Code	Meaning	Solution
500	Internal Server Error	Wait and retry
429	Too Many Requests	Slow down, wait
403	Forbidden	Check account status
400	Bad Request	Check input format

---

6. MCP Connection Errors

"Error connecting to [ServerName]"

Causes:

1. Server not running
2. Incorrect configuration
3. Transport type mismatch (stdio vs HTTP)
4. Authentication failure

Diagnosis steps:

1. Check server logs:

   • macOS: ~/Library/Logs/Claude/mcp-server-SERVERNAME.log
   • Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\logs\mcp-server-SERVERNAME.log

2. Verify configuration in claude_desktop_config.json

3. Test server independently

Common fixes:

Issue	Fix
Transport mismatch	Add "transport": "http" to config
Path with spaces	Use escaped paths
Missing env vars	Add to "env" in config
Server not installed	Run npm install -g first

Critical: Restart Claude Desktop after config changes.

---

7. Account Errors

"Account has been disabled"

Solutions:

1. Contact Anthropic support
2. Review Terms of Service
3. Do not create new accounts

"Error logging you in"

Solutions:

1. Disable VPN
2. Clear browser cache and cookies
3. Try incognito window
4. Check status.claude.com

---

8. Output Quality Issues

Output Suddenly Stops

Solutions:

1. Ask "Please continue from where you stopped"
2. Request smaller chunks upfront
3. Be more specific in scope

Gibberish Output

Solutions:

1. Simplify prompt
2. Start new conversation
3. Rephrase request differently

Claude Refuses to Respond

Solutions:

1. Rephrase more clearly
2. Explain legitimate use case
3. Break into smaller requests

---

TOKEN BUDGET GUIDELINES

MCP Server Token Estimates

Server	Tokens (approx)
Playwright	~13,500
Notion	~5,000
GitHub	~18,000
Filesystem	~4,000
Zapier	~25,000+ (avoid)

serverInstructions Pattern

Every MCP server should have:

"serverInstructions": "[Purpose]. Use for: [case1], [case2]. Keywords: [kw1], [kw2]"

Example:

"serverInstructions": "Browser automation. Use for: screenshots, page testing. Keywords: browser, DOM, screenshot"

Budget Calculator

System overhead:        ~10,000 tokens (fixed)
MCP servers:            [count] × ~3,000 = [estimate]
Loaded skills:          [count] × ~500 = [estimate]
Project instructions:   ~[estimate]
────────────────────────────────────────────
Baseline total:         [sum]
Available for work:     200,000 - [sum] = [remaining]

Targets:

• Baseline: < 40,000 tokens (20%)
• Available: > 160,000 tokens (80%)

---

PREVENTION CHECKLIST

Context/Input

• Maximum 5 MCP servers active
• All servers have serverInstructions
• Skills under 1,000 words
• Start fresh conversations for new topics
• Files under 10MB, prefer excerpts

Output

• Break large requests into chunks
• Use specific scope in prompts
• Paginate lists (50 items max)
• Retry once before rephrasing

Usage Limits

• Monitor "messages left" warnings
• Combine related questions
• Use concise prompts

MCP Stability

• Test servers before adding
• Restart app after config changes
• Keep servers updated

General

• Check status.claude.com when issues occur
• Keep Claude Desktop updated
• Back up important conversations

---

CONFIGURATION LOCATIONS

Config Files

macOS:

~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

Windows:

%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

Log Files

macOS:

~/Library/Logs/Claude/mcp-server-SERVERNAME.log

Windows:

%APPDATA%\Claude\logs\mcp-server-SERVERNAME.log

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Reference: Claude Settings Audit Skill v1.0 Last updated: 2025-02