Claude Code threads report cc_entrypoint=sdk-cli and drain the 5-hour limit faster #6951

Summary

Claude Code threads in bb report cc_entrypoint=sdk-cli. Anthropic meters the 5-hour subscription window for sdk-* entrypoints at roughly 1.6-2.9x the rate of the interactive CLI for the same tokens (anthropics/claude-code#97074). bb users on Pro and Max 5x therefore hit the 5-hour limit sooner in bb than in claude directly. The weekly limit is not affected.

Versions and environment

• bb Nightly 0.48.2-nightly.41691631797.1, macOS
• Claude Code 2.1.317, Agent SDK 0.3.245, signed in with a Claude subscription

Steps to reproduce

1. Start a Claude Code thread in bb.
2. Run echo $CLAUDE_CODE_ENTRYPOINT in the thread.

Expected vs actual

Expected: bb identifies itself as its own client, as T3 Code now does with t3-code (pingdotgg/t3code#28410).

Actual: sdk-cli. The bridge sets CLAUDE_CODE_ENTRYPOINT=cli (bridge.ts L1790, from #84), and Claude Code sends that as sdk-cli in SDK mode.

Evidence

Claude Code 2.1.317 (claude -p in stream-json mode, as the SDK runs it), sent to a local capture server:

CLAUDE_CODE_ENTRYPOINT unset -> cc_entrypoint=sdk-cli  UA: claude-cli/2.1.317 (external, sdk-cli)
CLAUDE_CODE_ENTRYPOINT=cli   -> cc_entrypoint=sdk-cli  UA: claude-cli/2.1.317 (external, sdk-cli)
CLAUDE_CODE_ENTRYPOINT=bb    -> cc_entrypoint=bb       UA: claude-cli/2.1.317 (external, bb)

T3 Code measured the meter per label in pingdotgg/t3code#24649: sdk-ts used about 2.3x the 5-hour window per token of cli; t3-code matched cli within the meter's 1% resolution. Theo says he got "semi-solid permission" from Anthropic to merge the label change (video, 14:37).

What you ruled out

• settings.json env cannot fix it: Claude Code reads the entrypoint only from the process env (verified in t3code#28410).
• The provider's env settings cannot fix it: buildSessionEnv sets the entrypoint after envOverrides.
• Use regular Claude and Codex interfaces for status and usage, and identify bb as its own client #6688 (C2) proposes dropping the override and setting CLAUDE_AGENT_SDK_CLIENT_APP. That sends sdk-ts, which T3 Code measured at the higher rate.

AGENT GENERATED