Claude “Temporarily unable to authenticate. Please retry.” – what it means and what to do
This can be a service-side authentication incident; check the official status page first. The wording alone does not establish a local fault or an account ban.
Updated:
Step 1 – Check status.claude.com
Look for incidents affecting sign-in, Claude Code or the API. During a sign-in incident, keep a working session and avoid signing out or clearing credentials as a first step. Wait for status updates and retry after a few minutes. Claude Status ↗
Step 2 – If there is no incident
In Claude Code, run /login when an explicit expired-login or missing-login message appears. The CLI command does not apply to the ordinary web sign-in screen.
Login expired · Please run /loginNot logged in · Please run /login
On macOS, if the login cannot be saved, unlock the login keychain and run /login again. Diagnose the error before deleting credentials. Couldn't save your login. Official error reference ↗ · Local device and keychain setup →
Claude Code retries vs this message
The official error reference documents up to 10 retries with exponential backoff for eligible transient failures. Some failures are not retried. This does not mean a web authentication message was retried 10 times or that repeated sign-in fixes an outage. Official retry behavior ↗
Recent incidents: September 29, 2026
The official incident records impact from 14:00 to 14:59 UTC. A mitigation restored some conversations before sign-in and other account actions fully recovered; the incident advised signed-in users to keep their sessions. The resolution notice was posted at 16:27 UTC. This is historical context; consult live status for today’s situation. Official incident record ↗
FAQ
Why does Claude say temporarily unable to authenticate (×3)?
Authentication temporarily failed; the repeat count alone does not identify its cause. Check the official status page, then distinguish an outage from an expired local session.
Should I log out and back in?
Keep a working session during an authentication incident; do not sign out or clear credentials as a first step. With no incident, run /login if Claude Code explicitly reports an expired or missing login.
Is my account banned?
This message alone is not a ban notice. If you also receive an account-disabled notice, use the official appeal process.