Prompt Cache Stale Context Warning — Fix (2026)

The Error

Cached prompt context is stale (file modified since cache creation)

The Fix

# Clear the prompt cache to force fresh context loading
claude cache clear
# Or invalidate cache for specific files
claude cache invalidate src/modified-file.ts

Why This Works

Claude Code caches file contents and project context between requests to reduce token usage and latency. When you modify files outside Claude Code (using another editor, git operations, or build tools), the cache becomes stale. Clearing it forces Claude Code to re-read the current file state on the next request, ensuring suggestions reflect your latest changes.

If That Doesn’t Work

# Start a fresh session which always loads current state
claude session new
# If cache corruption persists, remove the cache directory entirely
rm -rf ~/.config/claude-code/cache/
# Claude Code will rebuild the cache on next interaction

If you frequently edit files outside Claude Code, the cache will repeatedly go stale. In that workflow, consider disabling prompt caching or reducing the cache TTL to minimize stale hits.

Prevention

Add to your CLAUDE.md:

When switching between editors or running git operations that modify files (rebase, cherry-pick, stash pop), clear the Claude Code cache before resuming work. Run: claude cache clear.

This fix also applies if you see these related error messages:

  • fatal: not a git repository
  • error: failed to push some refs
  • fatal: refusing to merge unrelated histories
  • TokenLimitExceeded: max tokens reached
  • Error: output truncated at max_tokens

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does Claude Code require git?

Claude Code uses git for several core operations: tracking file changes, creating commits, reading blame information, searching history with git log, and managing branches. Without git, these operations fail and Claude Code falls back to less efficient alternatives.

Can Claude Code work in a non-git directory?

Yes, but with reduced functionality. File search and editing work normally, but version control operations (commit, diff, blame) are unavailable. Claude Code displays a warning when opened in a directory without git initialization.

How do I prevent Claude Code from making unwanted git operations?

Add rules to your CLAUDE.md: Do not create commits automatically. Do not run git push. Always ask before any git operation that modifies history. Claude Code respects these constraints and asks for confirmation before proceeding.

What causes token count mismatches?

Token counts are estimated before sending a request and precisely calculated on the server. The estimation uses a fast local tokenizer that may differ slightly from the server’s tokenizer. Small discrepancies (1-3%) are normal and do not affect functionality.

Estimate usage → Calculate your token consumption with our Token Estimator.

Try it: Paste your error into our Error Diagnostic for an instant fix.

Implementation Details

When working with this in Claude Code, pay attention to these practical details:

Project configuration. Add specific instructions to your CLAUDE.md file describing how your project handles this area. Include file paths, naming conventions, and any patterns that differ from common defaults. Claude Code reads CLAUDE.md at the start of every session and uses it to guide all operations.

Testing the setup. After configuration, verify everything works by running a simple test task. Ask Claude Code to perform a read-only operation first (like listing files or reading a config) before moving to write operations. This confirms that permissions, paths, and tools are all correctly configured.

Monitoring and iteration. Track your results over several sessions. If Claude Code consistently makes the same mistake, the fix is usually a more specific CLAUDE.md instruction. If it makes different mistakes each time, the issue is likely in the project setup or toolchain configuration.

Troubleshooting Checklist

When something does not work as expected, check these items in order:

  1. CLAUDE.md exists at the project root — run ls -la CLAUDE.md to verify
  2. Node.js version is 18+ — run node --version to check
  3. API key is set — run echo $ANTHROPIC_API_KEY | head -c 10 to verify (shows first 10 characters only)
  4. Disk space is available — run df -h . to check
  5. Network can reach the API — run curl -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}" https://api.anthropic.com (should return 401 without auth, meaning the server is reachable)
  6. No conflicting processes — run ps aux | grep claude | grep -v grep to check for stale sessions