ChatGPT Free Tier Asked a Coder to Paste Terminal Output 30-40 Times Before Burning Their Message Limit

Active-Ad9741 · reddit · 2026-09-22

A Reddit user trying coding assistance on ChatGPT's free tier found the model kept asking them to run terminal commands and paste output as messages instead of requesting files—a single-file line lookup repeated 30-40 times. Complying exhausted the free message cap, triggering a 2-3 hour limit and an upsell to premium. The same user had earlier fixed a bug almost instantly by simply sharing the files. The post fuels discussion over whether the free tier's inefficient paste-output interaction pattern quietly burns quota to push subscriptions.

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