Looks like it happened. I actually assumed they would just enable it for all today, considering the Sol and Kimmi releases this past week. They doubled down instead.

EDIT: Was an outage, they just fixed it (https://status.claude.com/)

https://status.claude.com/ now shows "Elevated errors across Fable 5" so it seems like they may not have intended to take it away...

Yes, ~30 Minutes ago (~18:00 UTC):

  Internal error: Usage credits are required for this model.: {
    "errorKind": "rate_limit"
  }

[Edit] Update from https://status.claude.com/

> We are aware of an issue preventing users from selecting Claude Fable 5 within Claude.ai, Claude Code, and other surfaces, and are working to resolve this issue. Jul 17, 2026 - 18:36 UTC

Yep. I thought it was supposed to run through the 19th?

Yep, right in the middle of a big implementation plan.

I don't mind them changing the terms, I do mind them changing the terms without warning - I had concrete plans to wrap up my fable development long before the July 19th deadline, but, nope, here in the middle of the 7/17 afternoon it was working, then it cut me off.

Same here. Weirdly,

> The promotion starts July 1, 2026 and ends July 19, 2026 at 11:59:59 PM PT.

from: https://support.claude.com/en/articles/15424964-claude-fable...

Yep, confirmed. Off to Codex I guess..

Funny how the default read of any outage now is "strategic gating" — a week of Sol and K3 launches has everyone primed to see 4D chess in what turns out to be a broken status page.

“Elevated errors across Fable 5 Investigating - We are currently investigating this issue.”

That’s a bug

Probably a cash grab to burn through users' usage credits before everyone switches to OpenAI or Kimi this weekend. I've lost all trust in Anthropic over these Fable shenanigans.

Same here. It may be related to the incidents reported today.

https://status.claude.com/

Same issue here. I wonder if they made a mistake while preparing for some "permanent" change, instead of the never ending extensions of theirs.

Wouldn't be surprised if they issued credits or extended the deadline again as an apology.

  > Update - We are aware of an issue preventing users from selecting Claude Fable 5 within Claude.ai, Claude Code, and other surfaces, and are working to resolve this issue.

I have to assume it's a secret test to see how many users immediately switch to Opus vs. how many stop/leave as a way to approximate what will happen if they actually turn it off...I mean, I'm sure it was a mistake and there will be some kind of announcement soon.

Anthropic cried "I yield" in the "reset quota" wars. Someone has to pay for all those tokens.

Hopefully that's not the case though, I was retaining a buffer to hit it hard this weekend.

Has anyone else noticed a crazy drop in their CREDITS since the servers went back up? I had plenty of space left and a cap set up, but it completely drained my account.

Man, they should really stop using AI for their products.

I logged into my Claude work account with $99 per month level and it says included until July 19 next to Fable when I click the model selector button.

Same for me!

My Max sub got renewed today, wish I've cancelled it earlier. I have been mainly using Sol anyways. I don't want to deal with dumb Opus anymore.

Looks like I'm convinced to try Kimi K3 today.

Yes.

  /model 
    ⎿  Kept model as Fable 5
  
  continue
  
  Usage credits are required for this model.

I just did get "Agent terminated early due to an API error: Usage credits are required for this model"

Lol, I thought only for me.. But in that case I think we can expect another extension for next week :D

It's Anthropic, they almost certainly broke something. Doubt they just decided to pull it early.

can confirm as well, i was cut mid response, like 10mins ago... waiting for an official announcemnt?

Same - Usage credits are required for this model. but I still have a lot of usage...

Yep, and I came to HN to make sure. Happened literally less than 20 minutes ago.

> Usage credits are required for this model.

That is what my Claude Code instance says, too.

Thought it was just me, strange time to flip that switch without notice

Same here. I was carefully planning and rationalizing my usage :/

Just happened to me. And disappeared from the 'Usage' tab.

Same thing here. Fable 5 disappeared from usage tab.

I can still select Fable, I have a pro subscription.

I have 60% usage left for Fable… wtf

Can confirm happened to me too

It just appeared again.

Can confirm, just now.

same here... Fable 5 disappeared from usage tab.

It’s back for me!

Fable is back up!

Yes, in the middle of a bunch of design work on my library. Sigh…

Fable was really a step ahead of Opus on this kind of work. I guess I will be looking at Codex unless Fable is included in my Max subscription on Claude code – or the next Opus is a clear improvement (and comes out soon).

yes, I'm getting charged for usage too

can confirm

I can't even use it properly even if I pay for it with my own money

Who here wants to put on tinfoil hats and wildly speculate that the government gave them another impossible roadblock?

Ah, just saw that it’s still available but requires credits now.

False alarm, remove tinfoil.

Yes

Usage credits are required for this model.

Why can't they keep up their own words

Likewise. I saw it vanish from the "Plan usage limits" page in real time.

Imagine building your solution using a 3rd party library, it still builds during your PR reviews and when you merge, it no longer builds. How would you feel?

Got it here too. Hopefully they give us another reset!

ah okay, not just me

must be a bug

I have 56% usage left for Fable. wtf anthropic!?!

now it's back? i saw it was gone from the usage but then reappeared about 10 min later, lol

It is now fixed for me

another usage reset incoming i guess

I wonder if they put Fable in charge of Fable and Fable has learned dark patterns on how to gauge if there's enough whales on the hook to attached a feeding tube to the token API so they can print money.

Yes, it did, same message. As others indicated, they will give us "another week" as an apology.