What users are reporting
On 4 October 2026, a user opened a thread on OpenAI's community forum: long conversations were reaching their maximum length significantly sooner than before. Others joined with similar experiences. The message they see reads:
This conversation has reached its maximum length, but you can keep talking by starting a new chat.
AI is part of everyday life for many: according to a University of Twente study published in February 2026, 65% of Dutch adults use generative AI, and chatbots are the most popular use.
What's known, and what isn't
What's known is what users describe. These are reports, not measurements. On 18 October, OpenAI's support replied in the thread that it was looking into whether the issue is widespread or specific to some accounts. OpenAI hasn't published an explanation or a new limit.
Either way, once the chat stops, you need a new one. The only question is how to start it without losing what you'd built up.
Don't just paste it all in.
Copying the whole old chat into a new one rarely works: it's the length that stopped it in the first place. Give the new chat your conclusions, not the transcript.
Carry on by hand
Write a short first message for the new chat:
I'm continuing work from another chat. Here's what you need. GOAL: [what we're doing] DECIDED (don't reopen): - [decision 1] - [decision 2] RULES: - [tone, format, length] WHERE WE ARE: [current state] NEXT: [the next step] Confirm briefly, then let's carry on.
The faster way: Handoff in Uncook
Handoff in Uncook writes that first message for you, from the whole chat. Open the conversation in ChatGPT, click the Uncook icon and choose Handoff. You get a prompt with the goal, the decisions, the rules and the next step. Copy it.
Tip: don't wait for the message. When a chat gets slow or starts going in circles, that's a good moment to start fresh.
FAQ
Has OpenAI lowered the limit? That isn't known. OpenAI's support said it was looking into the reports. There's no official announcement.
Does this work for Claude or Gemini chats? Yes. Handoff works with chats from supported AIs, including Claude and Gemini.
Can I do this on my phone? Uncook is a Chrome extension for your computer. On your phone, write the first message by hand with the template above.
Start fresh,
without starting over.
Add to Chrome
We don't keep the conversations you bring. When you click Send to Uncook in the extension window, the extension sends the chat from your tab to our servers, encrypted, for up to 30 minutes, and we delete it as soon as your Uncook page opens it. What Uncook makes from it is kept as a task, for as long as our Privacy page says. Neither your chats nor your tasks are used to train AI models.