Cursor Says You're Out of Usage
First figure out which pool you hit
Cursor splits usage into two separate pools: Cursor Models and Other Models. Confusing which pool you hit, plus assuming the reset date is the 1st of the month, are the two most common mistakes.
Four key facts
Two separate usage pools
Cursor Models (Cursor's own optimized models) and Other Models (third-party, billed at API price) are metered separately and don't offset each other.
In the Cursor Models pool, not Other Models
Official docs state Cursor Grok 4.6 / Grok 4.5 / Composer 2.5 all draw from the more generous Cursor Models pool — the common claim that 'Grok 4.6 eats the Other Models pool' isn't accurate.
Reset date = your subscription date, not the 1st
Individual plans reset on your subscription anchor (subscribe Jan 15 at noon, and it resets on the 15th each month at noon); team plans reset on a shared team billing date instead.
Other Models supports pay-as-you-go
Pro / Pro Plus / Ultra all include an Other Models pool; once it's spent you can enable on-demand billing or upgrade for more included usage.
What the error text is actually telling you
The full message is usually "You've reached your usage limit" — it doesn't say which pool. The Cursor Models pool covers Cursor Grok 4.6, Grok 4.5, and Composer 2.5 (plus their fast variants) with notably more generous included usage. The Other Models pool covers every third-party model, including Claude, Gemini, and GPT families, billed at each vendor's own API price. The two pools are metered independently — running out of Other Models doesn't touch your Cursor Models balance, and vice versa.
Latest development
Cursor has raised included-usage limits on individual and team plans multiple times through 2026, but the two-pool split and subscription-date reset haven't changed. To tell which pool you hit, check the Spending tab in your dashboard — it shows each pool's consumption and reset time separately.
Timeline
The Cursor Models / Other Models split and subscription-date reset have been in place since the plan system was built.
Cursor raises included-usage limits for individual and team plans several times; the two-pool split and reset rules stay unchanged.
Grok 4.6 remains assigned to the Cursor Models pool; the 'eats Other Models' misconception still circulates online.
Confirmed vs. common misreading
Confirmed
Cursor's official docs spell out both pools and which models belong to each (Cursor Grok 4.6 / Grok 4.5 / Composer 2.5 sit in the Cursor Models pool); individual plans reset on the subscription anchor, team plans on a shared team billing date.
Common misreading
A claim circulating online says Grok 4.6 eats the Other Models pool — that contradicts the official docs. Cursor Grok 4.6 sits in the more generous Cursor Models pool and doesn't touch third-party model quota.
How the two pools differ
Cursor Models pool
Covers Cursor Grok 4.6 / Grok 4.5 / Composer 2.5 (and their fast variants); included in your plan, usually generous.
Other Models pool
Covers Claude, Gemini, GPT and every other third-party model, billed at API price; once spent you need on-demand billing or a plan upgrade to keep going.
How to confirm which pool you hit
Open the Spending tab in your dashboard — both pools' consumption, remaining balance, and reset time are shown separately. Check which model you were using when the error happened: Grok 4.6/4.5/Composer 2.5 usually means the Cursor Models pool is full; anything else usually means Other Models. The reset time is your subscription anchor date and time, not the 1st of the month (except on team plans).
What to do on QCode
If it's the Other Models pool (Claude, Gemini, GPT, etc.) that's spent, one QCode key calls those model APIs directly at official price × service rate, independent of Cursor's plan pools and without waiting for Cursor's reset date.
FAQ
Which pool does Grok 4.6 actually draw from?
Cursor Grok 4.6 (including the fast variant) is in the Cursor Models pool, included in your plan and fairly generous. It would only fall into Other Models if you called a non-Cursor-optimized Grok build through some other channel.
Why isn't my reset date the 1st of the month?
Individual plans reset based on the date and time you subscribed, not the calendar month. That means your usage cycle and finance calendar can drift out of sync — that's the intended design, not a bug.
Can the two pools borrow from each other?
No. They're metered independently — exhausting Other Models doesn't touch your Cursor Models balance, and vice versa.
Do team plans reset the same way?
No. Team plans reset for all members at once based on the team's billing cycle, not each person's individual subscription date.
What can I do besides waiting for the reset when Other Models runs out?
Enable on-demand pay-as-you-go billing in the dashboard, upgrade to a higher plan for more included Other Models usage, or route that work through a different entry point.
What's the fastest way to tell which pool caused this error?
The model you were using when it happened is the clearest signal: Grok 4.6/4.5/Composer 2.5 → Cursor Models pool; anything else → Other Models pool. Then confirm the balance on the Spending tab.
Sources
The two-pool split, which models belong to each, and the subscription-date (not calendar) reset anchor all come from Cursor's official documentation (Models & Pricing, Usage and limits). This page was checked against these sources on 2026-08-27.
Don't wait for the reset when a pool runs dry
One QCode key calls Claude, GPT, Gemini and more directly — independent of Cursor's plan pools.
Related reading
Claude Weekly Limit 2026: the full rules
A different quota mechanism explained in full, useful for comparison.
How to rotate quota across multiple tools
Rotating usage across Claude Code / Codex / Cursor sensibly.
Codex has ghost quotas too: status green, request still rejected
The same kind of multi-layer quota confusion, on Codex.
This page is technical explanation, not an official Cursor statement. Specific quota rules and reset times are governed by your Cursor account dashboard and official documentation.